Play a Little Longer
by Bunch-o-Nuts
Summary: The Greek gods of Ancient times played a small hand in the creation of the nine mystical armors, and just before slipping into a sleep. Centuries later, they return to play with their toys a little longer...YAOI
1. Gods and Goddesses

Play a Little Longer

This is my first AU Ronin Warrior fic and I hope all goes well...if you read the summary, there isn't much else to know...except for the line-up of all the Greek gods and goddesses, as well as a few minor characters. I'm doing this because I am aware that SOME of the gods get the wrong attributes assigned to them...this is just to clear up some of that, but don't worry, some of the story WILL take place this chapter.

Some are familiar, others aren't. Please take the time to read it over! And this list only shows those gods/goddesses and characters that will be present in this story, k?

**_Hades_** - god of underworld & wealth

**_Dionysus_** - god of wine, wild behavior & fertility

**_Hypnos_** - god of sleep & dreams

**_Eris_** - goddess of discord

**_Ares_** - god of war

**_Hephaestus_** - god of fire & forge

**_Demeter_** - goddess of harvest & growing things

**_Poseidon_** - god of the sea, earthquakes & horses

**_Artemis_** - goddess of the moon & hunting;

**_Zeus_** - king of the gods & thunderbolt (does NOT mean he is the strongest)

**_Helios_** - god of the sun

**_Apollo_** - god of light (purity) & truth

**_Asclepius_** - god of healing

**_Eros_** - god of love (better known as the Roman Version, Cupid)

**_Aphrodite_** - goddess of love & beauty

**_Athena_** - goddess of crafts & wisdom

**_Hermes_** - messenger of the gods; god of commerce, science & protector of travelers & thieves

**_Iris_** - a minor goddess known to deliver messages from the gods

**_Aeolus_** - God of the Winds

**_Thanatos_** - God of Death

**_Cerberus_** - The three-headed dog that guards the gateway to the spirit realm (No, not Fluffy from Harry Potter ^_^)

(The next two are two different entities, not to be confused like they were in Disney's Hercules)

**_The Fates_** - Three women who determined the fate of each person, Clotho (spinner of life thread), Lachesis (Dispenser of Destiny) and Atropos (cutter of thread at death)

**_Graiae_** - 3 gray women (names unknown) that shared one eye between them; try to eat anyone who comes into their lair, but they are also extremely wise

That is the line-up for now, hope you were able to learn a little about each god...just kidding! Anyhow, on with the story but first...

**A BIG thanks to Kathrine from Split Persona** for helping me arrange the plot line, figure out a villain, and basically listen to my rantings and ravings! Thanks a lot Kathrine; it meant so much! **I also want to thank Eboni** for reading my fic over and helping me out when I needed it! Thanks!!!

Oh yeah, I don't own Ronin Warriors OR the Greek gods/goddesses. However, I DO own the plotline and any attempts to copy it will not be appreciated!  
Enjoy!

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In a time when darkness and evil were new to the land, one old man made a perilous journey from his home country of Japan all the way to the country of Greece. He came on a mission, in hopes that the Greek gods of Olympus would know a way to defeat the evil emperor Tulpa.

The man brought with him several goats, deer and doves, animals that were worthy of a sacrifice. He traveled through Greece, set on finding the city of Delphi where the temple to Apollo rested. As he traveled through Greece, he gained the nickname of the Ancient, for indeed he was an old man in the terms of the day, and he knew his son would soon take over his position as the head of his house back home.

When he reached Delphi, he presented each animal to the priestess and begged her in broken Greek that Apollo would accept these offerings to give him the answer he searched for. His own gods had failed, and everywhere else he had searched, there was always news of the Greek gods, who were known for their wisdom in some similar matters.

The priestess came to the Ancient's side, kneeling next to him before he could slice open the throat of the first goat to offer to Apollo.

"Apollo has heard your plea, as have the other gods. They know the danger that threatens you.  Make your own altar fire outside, where a groove of elms stands. Offer a pig, a goat, a horse and a dove. This is what the great Apollo has commanded." The priestess then backed off and returned to her room behind the altar.

The Ancient wasted no time and quickly bought a pig and a horse to sacrifice, making sure he had nothing but the best. As he led the four animals to the fire he created in the middle of the stand of elms, the animals suddenly started and pulled back. The Ancient, for fear of having his bones be snapped like brittle twigs, let the animals go, watching in despair before turning back to the fire.

Between him and the fire, though, was a man in golden cloth. On his feet were winged sandals and a hat on his head also had wings.

"Ancient, the gods are wondering what is taking you so long." The man told him, his voice deep and resonate. The Ancient stared, only wondering where this man had come from when the man held a hand out to him. "Come along, they're waiting…and we all know how much any divinity hates that."

The man smiled softly, and the Ancient took his hand even though he knew it had to be a bad idea. As soon as his hand was firmly clasped in the young man's, they suddenly hovered above the ground.

"How, how…" The Ancient trailed off, feeling sick to his stomach as the ground dropped farther and farther away. He heard the man laugh lightly, and he fought back his urge to be sick, knowing it would only delight this man more. "Who are you?" He rasped out instead.

"Me? Well, I go by many names, but you may call me Hermes."

"Hermes? The messenger god?" The Ancient said, his mouth dropping open in surprise.

"No, the god of commerce and science, protector of travelers and thieves. I have been very interested in your travels, but that's beside the point. The messenger god is Iris, goddess of the rainbow…unless, of course, I have nothing pressing to do. And you're a special one, so I wanted to come and fetch you."

"You know of my errand?"

"Who on Mount Olympus does not?" Hermes asked, turning to face the Ancient with a smile on his face as they touched down on a marble slab. The Ancient could hear the laughter in the man's voice and couldn't help but smile himself. "Ancient, welcome…to Olympus."

The Ancient turned and felt his mouth drop at what he saw. Beautiful buildings made of the finest marble perched on each cloud that he could see. In the middle of all the buildings, one giant cloud held a place similar to Apollo's temple, but at the same time it was different.

"Come along, not much time to dawdle. The gods are waiting for you." Hermes said, setting off at a quick pace for the temple.

The Ancient went to follow then stopped. Where he was standing was on a block of marble. Was it possible that if he stepped off onto the cloud, he would only fall through? Could this be a trick of the gods for some odd reason?

The Ancient debated for a time, but when he heard a clap of thunder, he jumped. Thunder belonged to Zeus, King of the Gods.  If he was making the King of the Gods impatient, he had better move along. Taking a deep breath, he stuck out a foot and slowly tested the cloud ground. It felt firm enough…

He put all his weight on it and smiled when the cloud did not give way. Without any further hesitation, he made his way to the temple…only to fall through the clouds on his next step.

The Ancient wheeled his arms around, hoping for a handhold as he continued to fall, his voice ripped from his throat as he plummeted to the ground. Suddenly, a hand grabbed hold of him, and he looked up into the face of a beautiful woman.

"Sorry about that…my husband can be rather impatient and he needed a good laugh to lighten the mood." She explained with a smile as she pulled him up through the clouds and settled him back on the now-firm clouds. The Ancient slowly caught his breath, and then looked up to see the woman was still there, waiting for him.

"Who…exactly, is your husband?" The Ancient asked, his heart still thudding against his chest.

"Zeus." The woman replied simply, a sincere look on her face as the Ancient took another step towards the temple, his arms wide to stop another freefall incident.

"Ah, of course…" The Ancient was too concerned with his next step, but when he finally reached the marble safety of the temple, he turned back to her. "And that makes…you…" The Ancient trailed off, for the woman that had been behind him vanished in front of his eyes. The tricks of these gods were starting to annoy him.

"That would make me Hera, wife to Zeus." He heard someone say delicately behind him and he whirled around to see…the woman standing behind him, a small grin gracing her features. "Hope you don't think we annoy you too much, but we don't get visitors to our home often. We often have to…"

"Hera, bring the man in here already!" A deep voice interrupted as it called out from the temple and Hera sighed.

"All right, follow me then." She turned and walked…right through the temple wall.

The Ancient sighed. This was getting old…_fast_. However, when no one came back to get him, he searched around the temple, being sure to stay on the marble edge until he came to an opening near the back, which allowed him in and to walk down to the center of the temple.

When he reached the center, he looked up in front of him to see a mighty man, his muscles bulging. He had on a fine, white robe and was resting easily in a marble throne. In his right hand, lightning bolts hissed, crackled and shifted. The woman he had met earlier, Hera, was standing just behind him and away from the lightning. Personally, he couldn't blame her. He had traveled enough to see what lightning could do if you were an unfortunate soul to get struck with it.

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning landed near his feet, making his hair stand on end.

"Scared of lightning, are you mortal?" The man in the throne commanded and the Ancient heard snickers fly around the room. "It's a healthy fear, don't lose it." Zeus reached forward and pulled the lightning bolt back, extinguishing it seemingly with a thought so that both hands were free and Hera felt better about approaching the throne. "Now, why is it again that he needed to be brought here?"  
  


"Because he needed to meet with all of us, dear husband." Hera offered, sitting down on the arm of the throne. The Ancient, for the first time, looked around the room and was startled at how many different gods there were sitting comfortably around the room.

"Speak, mortal! And tell us of your problems before I get bored again." Zeus said, forcing the Ancient's attention back to the King of the Gods.

So the Ancient explained his plight, the reason for him turning to many divinities in hopes of finding an answer. These gods were polite and listened to his whole story and then offered a few solutions.

Finally, it was decided that the gods could place a little divine power into a staff…a little from each of them, which would accumulate to a lot of power in the end. The Ancient readily agreed and Hephaestus lumbered off to make the staff. When he returned, the gods all poured some power into the staff before it was handed over to the Ancient.

"Only those who are your true heirs, or have your permission will be able to hold this staff. Anyone else who touches it without permission will die." The Ancient gulped at these words, but held the staff tight. Finally, a weapon with which to fight Tulpa!

"How can I ever repay your kindness?" The Ancient asked as his voice choked with emotions. No longer would his people have to run in terror from Tulpa. Now, he would be able to ultimately defeat the monster that terrorized his land. Hephaestus stepped forward.

"When Tulpa is dead, split his armor into nine, for his spirit shall return eons later, when a new Ancient is to protect the world. These nine separate armors will slow his return and also provide another weapon against the tyrant when five pure of heart inherit the armor."  
  
The Ancient bowed his head, feeling the seriousness in the situation. This task, he knew, would not be as easy as it seemed.

"Thank you." The Ancient said softly, his head still bowed. Zeus clapped his hands once, telling the Ancient in the process that he would be taken back to his homeland. He was also instructed to fight Tulpa when the moon was full, for then Tulpa would be at his weakest with so much light, even at night.

Once the Ancient was gone, Zeus was about to dismiss the council when he noticed that Hephaestus was still standing…and acting like he had something important to say.

"Hephaestus, speak." Zeus told the only deformed god of Olympus. Hephaestus nodded his thanks as the other deities settled back into their seats.

"The nine armors I talked about will be very powerful. I have dreamed often of this moment, and the armors shall be crafted with care by me. The armors shall be nine: the armor of Spring, the armor of Summer, the armor of Autumn, the armor of Winter, the armor of Wildfire, the armor of Hardrock, the armor of Torrent, the armor of Strata and the armor of Halo. Once these armors of crafted, some of us will be chosen to pour some power into each armor."

"Who will be chosen?" Poseidon asked, shifting slightly in his seat. He liked the sound of the Armor of Torrent; it reminded him of ocean swells and currents, the creatures beneath with which he was their keeper.

"I do not know as of now. The armors themselves will be created on their own, with a little help from myself…and they shall choose their own god to represent them. However, some of the armors shall set jealousy among us, and many will try to give their gifts. The armor will accept only those gifts set for the armor."  
  
Before anymore questions could be asked, Hephaestus turned and limped out of the temple to return to his forge. The gods, realizing that they would know who would be chosen when the time came, decided to leave it at that and left for their separate homes or domains.

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Two weeks later, a ripple of magic passed through every being. To those who were truly aware of the world around them, a shadow had left their mind as well. The great being that was Tulpa had been killed.

Within an hour, all the gods and goddesses had assembled near Hephaestus's forge. On the far side, nine armors were lined up and each possessed a small inner light of what could be. Without asking, each god or goddess knew that the light had been absorbed from the nine parts of Tulpa's armor that the Ancient had carved it into. Hephaestus stepped forward, wiping soot off his face, then stepped back to let each god in, one at a time.

Torrent was the first to choose, and Poseidon poured forth his power until the armor turned a light blue. Next came Autumn, choosing the goddess Eris and the god Ares. Hardrock chose next and Demeter touched its helmet to pour her power in until it was orange with her magic. The Armor of Winter chose Hades while the armor of Summer chose Hypnos. Artemis poured her power, a dark-blue color, into the armor of Strata. The armor of Spring chose Dionysus and Wildfire chose Hephaestus.

The final armor, Halo, remained dormant and unresponsive no matter which god gathered around it. Hephaestus came forward to find out what was wrong only to smile.

"This armor HAS chosen, but it has chosen four gods to represent it. Zeus, Helios, Apollo and Asclepius will be the ones to pour their power forth." Hephaestus explained, stepping back as he named the four gods chosen. The four gods placed a hand onto the armor at the same time, also putting their power in at the same time.

Slowly, the armor of Halo became a distinctive green, but no sooner was the color embedded into, did the armors transform into a small, clear sphere. Each sphere hovered for a moment, then shot through the roof in different directions.

"Will we ever see them again?" Zeus asked softly, following the path the beautiful green armor had taken. Hephaestus smiled.

"We will…in due time," was the only answer that Hephaestus supplied.

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(In another part of the world, days later)

The Ancient declared to all his descendants that a sacrifice would be given to the Greek gods as well as their own at the beginning of each year for the help they had given. This commandment was carried out for several hundred years…until the Greek religion slowly dwindled as the mighty gods and goddesses drifted into a deep sleep.

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A couple thousand years later, they were to awaken again. They would discover how much the world had advanced without them and be quite startled, but the one thing they would return for would be the armors. Will they seek to put havoc into the armor bearers life…or just leave them alone, observing them from afar?

Well, if you know anything of mythology, the armor bearers are in for one hell of a time…two months before the gods fade into oblivion, and they are stuck with them. Basically, the gods have returned to play with their toys…one last time.


	2. Tremors of a Greater Power

Play a Little Longer

I'm glad that some of you liked my first chapter. I hope that now, with the addition of the Ronin Warriors, that you will like it that much more!  
  


By the way, thanks for the reviews from: **Split Persona**, **Shadow of Arashi**, **Celesta SunStar**, and **Destiny Lot**. You four really inspired me to continue with the story!

New notices: Gaea was what the Greeks called the Earth, also sometimes known as Mother Earth in translations

Now, onward…to the story!!

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"Ryo, watch out!!" Cye yelled in warning to their leader, forcing the raven-haired teen to look up. He saw the demon, the one they had cornered shortly after its escape from Youja-kai, the Netherworld. He also saw the demon leaping for him, its claws outstretched in what would be a death-grip…if the devilish little creature could get his hands on Ryo, that is.

Ryo bent his legs beneath him, ready to spring off to the side in a last-minute jump. He was determined to tick the creature off, no matter what the cost and a smile briefly crossed his lips at the thought.

'Okay, getting close…closer…closer…now!' He mentally screamed at himself, pushing off the asphalt to jump up and away, knowing his sub-armor would bring him further away in the process…however, his footing must have been off, and Ryo gave a gasp of surprise as he only teetered, then fell to the ground, still in the demon's path.

Ryo looked up in fear to see that he still had a few seconds to jump away…but his leg, what in the hell was wrong with his leg? He knew he hadn't fallen on it, nor had he been injured recently. So why did it feel like someone was driving nails into his left hip?

Ryo, finding the struggle useless, raised an arm to protect his face as the demon leapt at him again, closing the short distance between them. He felt the monster tear his claws into his armor, through the metal and into the flesh. He bit back a scream of pain as he realized a little too late that poison must have been hidden in the demon's claws, for his arm flared in pain, then slowly grew heavy. The demon was still sitting on him, waiting patiently for the time when it could claw at his face. The demon must have smelled the fear on Ryo, for it gave a small smile and licked its sharp teeth.

Ryo moaned as his head began to pound, not realizing that someone else ripped the creature off of him. His head fell to the ground as the pounding moved into his temples and his hearing was blocked out by a rushing noise.

"Damn…fast-acting poison." He whispered, forcing his sub-armor to vanish at the same time. The orb clattered to the ground and he gripped his injured arm tight, curling into a fetus position in the process. His body shuddered, trying to fight off the poison just before he lost consciousness.

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Rowen picked the creature off of Ryo by the scruff of his neck, keeping his body away from the claws that dripped a little red liquid. The monster growled and snapped at him, but he just carried it away as Cye knelt by Ryo, taking their leader's head in his lap. Kento followed Rowen, knowing as Sage knelt down that he would only be a distraction. Instead, he decided to help Rowen dispose of the creature that had bothered to hurt one of his friends.

Sage held a hand out over Ryo, trying to focus on his healing abilities, but the fear coursing through his body distracted him. Seeing Ryo shiver as the poison swarmed through his body strengthened his resolve to concentrate as it was destroyed. His friend needed him, needed him desperately but he was so scared. What if it was too late?

Cye clamped a hand over Ryo's injured arm, forcing their leader to hold still. Ryo moaned in pain, sweat beading on his forehead while Cye looked to Sage. What was taking him so damn long? Ryo was dying! Was the calm, cool, collected Sage Date finally losing it when he was most needed?

"Sage, hurry it up!" Cye growled, more from forcing Ryo to stay still as another shiver wracked their leader's small frame. Sage nodded, finally finding a way to concentrate. He focused, and slowly a green light stole from his hands and surrounded the sixteen-year-old boy lying on the street.

After several moments, Sage slowly pulled what energy wasn't needed back in, taking a deep breath to calm his racing heart. Ryo would be okay…unconscious for a little while, but he would be fine.

Cye blew out a lungful of air he didn't know he had been holding when he felt the relief flood Sage's aura. He didn't need to ask to know that Ryo would be all right. The blackness that had been encroaching on Ryo's aura was gone now, and the teen slumbered peacefully, his body able to heal the scratch on its own now.

Sage had used a lot of energy to rid the teen of the poison that had plundered his body, leaving him with barely enough to stand, let alone heal the minor cut Ryo had on his arm. Cye ripped off a small strip from the bottom of his shirt and wrapped it around Ryo's wrist as Kento and Rowen returned. Rowen helped Sage to his feet as Kento lifted Ryo off of Cye.

"Anyone know why Ryo messed up that jump?" Kento asked softly, peering down at the soft features as his leader slept on. Cye stepped up beside him, shaking his head. Kento looked up at Sage and Rowen to see them shake their heads as well. Kento shrugged his shoulders. "Guess we ask him when he wakes up."

"Can we please head home?" Sage asked, his eyes pleading. The others nodded, knowing that Sage probably had a headache and suffered from fatigue from the healing process. That could be the only explanation; when Sage was well, he never complained, allowing the others to turn back when they tired first…

"Sure Sage, we'll head home." Cye said softly as they all headed off to the West, back to Mia's mansion.

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In the heavens, in a place known as Mount Olympus… 

Hephaestus knew he was the first god to awaken from the sleep that had stolen over the mighty on Olympus…of course, he had also been the first to go to sleep, so it seemed only right.

The god of fire and the forge sat up in the bed he had near his forge, groaning slightly with the effort. The first thing he noticed about the forge was that the fire was out, making the small hut drastically cold. Hephaestus groaned with effort again as he swung his useless left leg off the bed first.

"Pathetic leg…one would think after a couple thousand years of sleep, I could have a few minutes of peace from it…" Hephaestus muttered under his breath as he finally brought his right leg over and then pushed himself into a standing position. Hephaestus stood still for a time, allowing the needle-like feeling that was plaguing his left hip slow to a dull prickle, then limped his way over to the forge. With a wave of his hand, the forge blazed to life once again, quickly warming the hut. He smiled, knowing it wouldn't be long before the others would awaken.

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Back on Earth, in Mia's Mansion 

Ryo slowly opened his eyes shortly after his friends had settled him on the couch in the living room. Gingerly, he sat up, remembering fragments of what happened a few moments ago. He carefully felt the welt of the cut under his now properly bandaged wrist before moving to his hip. He still remembered the immobilizing pain he felt and carefully massaged it. However, there seemed to be no remainder of the terrible pain, just a small prickle, as if that side had fallen asleep.

Running his hands through his hair and sighing, he slowly pushed off the couch, testing his left leg as he went. It didn't react in pain or refuse to move and Ryo smiled, his testing finished. Obviously whatever had happened during the fight was temporary…it probably wouldn't bother him again.

"Hey, Ryo…what are you doing, some kind of weird dance?" A loud voice said behind him, the laughter barely contained. Ryo turned around quickly to see Kento standing in the doorway. Just behind him, Cye was watching Kento's antics with a smile on his face.

Ryo smiled in reply and walked over to them, completely at ease now. "My leg hurt during our battle…I was just trying to find out why, or if it was still hurting."

"Is that why your jump was messed up?" Cye asked, his face a mask of concern. Ryo just nodded for an answer.

"Does it still hurt?" Kento asked, taking a step forward into the room. Ryo shook his head, deciding not to mention that the leg still prickled to him, as if it were a warning that it might happen again.

Getting tired of all the attention on him, Ryo decided to change the subject.

"I'm hungry, can we have lunch?" Ryo asked, stretching a little. Cye and Ryo both smiled as Kento's stomach rumbled in agreement with Ryo's statement.

"Sure, I don't see why not." Cye told them, laughter threatening to burst forth. "Just give me a minute to be able to cook something up. Keep yourselves entertained, but grab Sage and Rowen when I call you." Cye said as he turned and walked out of the room and towards the kitchen.

"I say we play Mortal Kombat while we wait." Kento said, grinning as he headed for the TV station and pulling out two controllers. Ryo chuckled slightly as he took a seat on the floor with Kento, grabbing the red controller.

"Hey, Kento…how is Sage?" Ryo asked softly as Kento fiddled with the wires connecting the N64 with the television. Kento paused for a minute and then began fiddling again. "Kento?"

"Uh, Sage is fine Ryo…a little exhausted, but fine." Kento replied, finally emerging. With a triumphant grin, he flicked the on switch to the N64, starting up the game of Mortal Kombat.

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Rowen looked up from his book and across the room to Sage, who was sleeping peacefully. He sighed heavily and sat up on the extra bed, adjusting his position before reading the book again. A few pages later, he looked up again, but this time sighed in frustration.

Rowen set his book aside and stood up, stretching. He paced back and forth for a minute then looked back at Sage. Sage slept on, oblivious of whatever was obviously plaguing his friend. Sighing again, he finally opened the door to the bathroom and disappeared into his own bedroom that adjoined it. Flopping down on his own bed, he stared up at the ceiling that was speckled with stick-on stars and let his thoughts drift.

_How did this happen?_ Rowen asked himself, biting his lip as he thought. He knew something that nobody else knew…_and nobody else will ever know about it if I have my way. Nobody will ever have to know…that I love…my best friend…_

Rowen was startled from his thoughts several moments later when someone knocked on his door. Blinking back the burning sensation in his eyes that came from leaving his eyes open too long, he made his way to the door. He opened the door a crack to see familiar raven-black hair. He opened the door the rest of the way to see Ryo smiling slightly at him, leaning casually on the rail on the opposite side of the hall.

"Hey Rowen, Cye sent me up to come and get you for lunch." Ryo explained, already taking a step towards the room a little further down that belonged to Sage.

Rowen stepped out quickly and caught up with Ryo. "I'll get Sage." Rowen told Ryo, his voice slightly harsh. "If he's still sleeping, I'll let him rest and bring a lunch up for him later, okay?"  
  
Ryo nodded slowly, a confused look passing over his face before he headed downstairs. Rowen took a deep breath, slowly turning the doorknob and opening the door.

Sage was lying on his side, curled up slightly for warmth, but still fast asleep. Rowen cautiously entered the room and knelt down next to Sage's bed.

A soft breath caressed Rowen's cheek and he smiled softly at the scent of crushed mint. He reached up tentatively, running a hand through the ends of Sage's golden locks. They were so soft…

Sage stirred lightly and Rowen held his breath, his hand still hovering above his best friend. Sage moaned softly, then moved slightly closer to Rowen's chest before drifting back to sleep. Rowen let out a breath he hadn't known he had been holding, running his hands through Sage's hair one last time before standing up.

"I'll be back soon." Rowen whispered softly to Sage as he backed toward the door. He softly shut the door, then headed downstairs for lunch.

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Mediterranean Sea 

The first thing he felt upon awakening was his hair floating about him, ruffled by a gentle current. He smiled slightly as he became aware of the sea life he had sworn to protect…they were waiting for his awakening. Slowly, one deep blue eye opened to see several fish swimming past him. Upon seeing movement from a creature that had remained motionless for centuries, the fish scattered. Poseidon just laughed, slowly forcing himself into a sitting position.

Poseidon looked around his ocean with a careful eye, noting every plant, animal and microscopic organism that floated by. However, upon further examination, he noticed that his sea seemed…dirty…

'How did this happen?' Poseidon asked himself, forcing himself to swim along the sea's bottom. Trash littered the bottom and rage filled Poseidon's chest like a balloon. He stopped for a moment and closed his eyes, determined to find out what had happened. Slowly, then steadily faster, images of the past flew through his mind, filling him in on what happened. Mortals had found a way to cross quickly across his sea, even though it hurt the ocean in the process.

Even as he realized this, he suddenly heard a roar. Looking up towards the surface, he saw a machine that he now knew the mortals called a 'motor boat' strip across the sea's waves. Growling, he summoned his power, determined to teach the mortals a lesson they wouldn't soon forget…and ridding Gaea, and his oceans, of the horrible machines.

As he was about to begin his purge of the mortal world, he suddenly felt a tug in the back of his mind, then a voice thundered in his mind.

*Poseidon, my brother! * Poseidon knew that he had heard Zeus talking to him even though it had been many centuries since he had heard his younger brother command him. *We need to have a council…come to Mount Olympus at once! *

Growling slightly, Poseidon paused for a minute before pushing off the bottom of the sea, launching himself with enough force to make it up into the heavens. He was one of the first ones to arrive into the temple that the Ancient had been in so many years ago, but it didn't take long for many other deities to wander in, each looking tired in their own right.

"Zeus, please inform me on _why_ you needed us to come here?" Poseidon asked once everyone had assembled. His voice portrayed accurately on his boredom and annoyance. Other gods and goddesses looked from the god of the sea to the god of the heavens, wondering how Zeus would answer this one.

"I called you all here because I had to tell you of the one condition to our return to this realm." Zeus said gravely, ignoring the impatient looks that he was receiving. "We shall have only three to four months where we shall be alive like this. Afterwards, we shall all slowly die, fading into oblivion."

Gasps of surprise flew around the room followed by murmurs of fear. Some gods and goddesses asked Zeus if there was any way to prevent the inevitable while others asked how they had returned at all. Finally, Zeus raised his hand for silence.

"I tell you now the only reason why we were able to return was our connection to the armors that Hephaestus helped forge some time ago. The fates have seen that for the next three months, we have a part to play in their lives."  
  


"My brother, how do you know this?" Hades asked, his voice deep and rumbling. "I have been awake longer than you and know nothing more than what has just spilled forth from your mouth."

"Hades, I rule the heavens! Do you not know that I have seen these things before? Before the sleep fell upon the mighty, I knew about it…and the events that would happen later, the inventions by humanity and the reason for our short awakening before oblivion claimed us!" Zeus exclaimed, his voice like low-rumbling thunder.

"Then what do we do about it now, O mighty Zeus?" Ares, the god of war, whispered, but his voice could be heard by all as the silence reigned over the council area.

"Aphrodite has already taken care of that problem. She is down among the bearers of the armor as we speak, finding out some information that we might need to know about them…"

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Mia's Mansion 

Cye balanced two plates in his hands, then walked easily back into the living room where only Kento remained. Ryo had just recently headed upstairs to check on Sage and Rowen for a second time. However, as Cye stepped through the living room's doorway, he thought he saw a flash of gold in the corner…

  
Turning to see whatever it might have been that could have distracted him like that, Cye was puzzled to see nothing that contained gold existed in that corner. Pounding footsteps as Rowen and Ryo ran down the stairs together startled Cye out of his daze. He pointed the two eager boys toward the kitchen to get their food as Cye slowly turned around and headed back to Kento, the two plates still balanced in his hands.

Cye carefully settled one plate on the small table in front of the television set and Kento snatched the other plate in his eagerness to eat. Cye gave a small, devilish smile as he placed a hand over Kento's mouth.

"No, Kento-kun…no eating until you thank me!" Cye told the larger boy, a smile flickering across his face. Kento smiled too as he set the sandwich aside, then softly grabbed Cye's hand. Carefully, tentatively, Kento laid a soft kiss on Cye's lips, then smiled to feel the warrior of Torrent return the kiss.

All too soon, the display of affection was stopped and the two began to eat their lunch as Ryo re-entered the room, telling them that Rowen had gone to go give Sage lunch in bed.

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Who do you think it was that Cye saw in the corner? Any ideas about how this should continue would be greatly appreciated!!

That's it for now, hope you all look forward to the next chapter for then…the Warlords join in! Sorry, no Lady Kayura or Yulie. Mia herself will only be making a few appearances as well!


	3. Guardians of Love

Play a Little Longer

All right, I'm on a semi-roll right now, so I'm going to keep this introduction short, with thanks to the following for their reviews: Destiny's Lot, Shadow of Arashi, Ginzai and Split Persona.

Notices: A reference is made to Helen and Paris, a famous story from the ancient Greek Culture in which Paris steals away Helen, the wife of Menelaus and the most beautiful woman in the world. Aphrodite helps Paris in this feat because he had proclaimed her as the fairest goddess (another story, The Golden Apple), but she couldn't stop the Greeks from declaring a war on Paris's people, the Trojans. This war lasted ten years until a wooden horse, created by Odysseus, was able to get through the Trojan defenses. This information is considered sketchy because only a few poets write about this amazing time period and our main source of information comes a blind poet, Homer, who lived five hundred years AFTER the supposed Trojan War.  However, here is some **food for thought**: Troy has supposedly been found, on a hill called _Hissarlik_ in Turkey.

Oh yeah….crap!! I put up the wrong chapter for the third one!!! I'm so embarrassed….

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Aphrodite sighed heavily as she watched the bearer of the armor Torrent turn away from her. That was too close, her presence had almost been detected. According to Zeus, she wasn't supposed to allow that to happen for a while yet. And personally, she did not wish to be discovered for a while.

Giving another sigh of relief, she then stepped forward slightly in an attempt to collect a small amount of data about the bearer of Hardrock and Torrent that sat in front of her. Barely a moment into her observations, she suddenly heard a small voice say something…Torrent had said something playful to Hardrock, and the other boy was smiling. Smiling herself, Aphrodite waited to see what would happen.

She watched as the two leaned closer together, as if they were about to share an intimate secret. Considering this, Aphrodite took a step closer to see if she could hear or understand the secret…all too soon, Aphrodite wished she had stayed in her corner of the living room as she saw Hardrock lay a feathery kiss on Torrent's lips, then watched as Torrent took measures to deepen the kiss. Shuddering, she withdrew from the sight, not understanding entirely what she had seen.

Aphrodite turned away for a moment from the sight, taking the time to control her own feelings. She was the goddess of love and she didn't have to probe the situation very far to realize that the bearer of Hardrock and Torrent…were in love.

She pondered this situation for a little while, having now acknowledged the relationship between Torrent and Hardrock. Deep down, she knew that she felt a small flicker of pride for the two boys. Even after she had been gone for more than a millennium, there were still thousands of people who had not succeeded in finding true love. In a way, she felt sorry for the mortal population…in another way, she was pleased, for it meant she still had meaning in the world.

"A sacred pair, to have found such love." Aphrodite murmured as she took a step closer to the pair that were now eating their lunch. Time seemed to slow down as she reached down to touch their foreheads with her thumb. She knew that by doing so, she would leave her mark on them, making their love sacred and one to never be intruded upon. At the last moment, repulsed by her own actions, she drew back. There was no way she could allow something like this…love between two males was an abomination to the name of love.

However, she couldn't help but feel slightly happy at finding such a couple on her first day. She also knew at the same time that she wasn't entirely thrilled. This couple, for starters, was far from her greatest work.  That work was none other than the matching of the beautiful Helen of Sparta to her Prince Paris of Troy. She smiled just in remembering the legendary love that had forced the Greeks to declare a ten-year war on the Trojans. Although she didn't like wars, it was glorious to participate in it and even more glorious to see the love created between her two chosen ones with only a little of her help.

A different voice had added to the two that belonged to Hardrock and Torrent so Aphrodite forced herself from her thoughts to see who it might be. When she looked up, she saw a teen that was slightly short for his age and his raven black hair seemed almost unkempt as it rested gracefully on his head. He had incredibly blue eyes and a fiery spirit that Aphrodite was sure the gods could feel from Olympus themselves. "Truly, this is the one called Wildfire." Aphrodite thought to herself, but she stayed in the corner and away from this new boy. It had been a close call when Torrent had almost discovered her; she didn't need to risk herself like that again so soon.

The relationship for Wildfire to Torrent and Hardrock was nothing more than what friends should be and Aphrodite quickly tired of listening to what seemed like a pointless conversation. She made a few final mental notes before turning and walking silently through the living room doorway. She paused shortly, considering who else she had to find. She could not feel the seasonal armors for the moment. However, just above her she could feel two spirits, one that was calm as if caught in sleep and the other was worrying about something, perhaps pertaining it to the previous spirit she had felt. Although she was unsure if they could be two spirits belonging to the armors, she decided to investigate. She slowly floated upward, melding through the ceiling and appearing in the hallway upstairs.

  
Aphrodite closed her eyes once she appeared in the hallway so she could sense where the two spirits were. After a moment of searching she opened her eyes, now knowing exactly where the two spirits could be found. However, her eyes quickly widened in surprise to see a boy with dark blue hair and even darker eyes heading right towards her.

'Have I been seen?' Aphrodite thought quickly, trying to come up with a story to feed this mortal should he confront her. However, the young boy had his eyes averted elsewhere, lost deep in thought. He walked through her like she was a ghost and Aphrodite smiled as she got a more accurate reading on his soul than ever before. As he headed downstairs, still lost in thought, she smiled. "So that one is the bearer of Artemis's armor, the Armor of Strata…" She mused, then turned to the room that he had stepped out of, knowing for some odd reason that this was where the last Elemental Armor resided for now.

As she stepped up to the door, however, she heard rustling from behind it and hesitated to glide through. She waited for a moment and heard an obvious curse (for this century) on the other side and then a thump as the armor bearer must have fallen off his bed. She was confused, thinking his choice for a curse wasn't appropriate since there was no sexual behavior occurring right now in this household. After all, she WAS the goddess of love…she prided herself on knowing these things.

She didn't have to wait much longer as the doorknob slowly turned and out stepped a young blond, his hair mussed with recent sleep and his eyes unfocused and clouded. His eyes were cast towards the floor as he turned slightly to shut the door after him, then they were squeezed shut again as he suppressed a yawn. Aphrodite, however, cared nothing of this…all she knew was that one of the Greeks ideal men had come to life through this boy.

He brushed past her, not even feeling her or knowing that she existed. She felt a pain in her chest that she had not been noticed by this perfection…hadn't it been her Paris to claim she was the fairest lady, even above Helen? Her stomach did flops as she crept back up next to the perfection, breathing in his scent of crushed mint and sandalwood.

"Good afternoon, sleepy-head!" A chorus greeted him as he entered the living room. Aphrodite was sure to follow him, but now she drifted ahead so she could see his reaction. She watched a sheepish smile cross his face then smiled herself as the room laughed when the blond yawned. She knew from her brush with Strata that seeing Halo sleepy was a rare occasion and that he was a morning person, one to rise and set with the sun.

The blond delicately picked his way across the wires by a couch, settling on another couch with the young, blue haired man that she had seen in the hallway upstairs earlier. He glowed slightly to have Halo sit next to him, but it was soon lost in his musings. Aphrodite hardly noticed; her eyes seemingly glued to the blond.

She heard a soft laugh behind her and was going to ignore it until she heard the flutter of wings that accompanied the laugh.

"Eros!" Aphrodite gasped, turning around to see her son. "What are you doing here? I was the one sent to gather information on the armor bearers." The young god smiled as he flew close to her, looking into her eyes.

"Careful mother, you might alert these boys to your presence." The boy's voice was normally very soothing, but Aphrodite found it grating on her nerves right now. Also, his appearance was normally enough to light up the room, but now she found that the light in the room was coming from the bearer of Halo. With an angry humph, she turned back to the piece of art that had so far captured her sight and attention for so long.

Eros, once he noticed that he had lost his mother's interest sighed heavily.

"Mother, what is it that captures your attention so?" Eros asked, flying forward so as to hover next to her shoulder. He followed her gaze until he too noticed the blond that was relaxing on the couch across from them. A lazy smile now graced the blonde's lips, and his eyes were still heavy with sleep. He looked as if he was going to fall asleep again any minute. However, the blond contained a grace and perfection that Eros had rarely seen. The young god felt his heart thunder its response to the beauty even though he had never liked a man in such a way before. Smiling and trying to bury his feelings of lust and love, he turned to his mother, saying, "Oh, he **is **a handsome one, isn't he?"

"Shush!" Aphrodite reprimanded her son, but not before Eros saw her pale cheeks turn slightly red. He smiled in self-satisfaction as Aphrodite tried to hide her embarrassment. "W-we should head back to, uh…to Olympus now…we need to report what we have found out." She didn't wait for her son's consensus before she slowly faded, returning to Olympus without another word. Eros, however, took one last look at the blond, whose head rested on a blue-haired man's shoulder before returning to Olympus with his mother.

Sage merely sighed slightly, hearing the conversation between the two gods. He dismissed it as a dream and snuggled closer to the man he loved and slipped into a deeper sleep and a new dream…one where he was finally able to tell Rowen how he felt.

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Mount Olympus 

Aphrodite waited only a few seconds for her son to appear before launching into a report, trying to hide her thoughts and feelings from the all-knowing gods through her report.

"The bearer of Wildfire, Ryo, is what I gathered to be their leader. He is hotheaded and quick to make decisions but he also cares deeply for his friends and would never allow any true harm to come to them. Next, the bearer of Torrent, Cye, is kind and tends to be the cook for the group. He and Hardrock apparently have a…relationship…"

"Relationship?" Demeter asked, looking confused. "I thought all the bearers were men."

"That is true, Demeter." Aphrodite said, her voice soft and silky as ever before.

"Then how is there a relationship?" Demeter continued to ask, but Aphrodite only shrugged her shoulders.

"I am unsure of how such a relationship occurred…mayhap we should inquire to the great Achilles, who was known to have a male lover…or maybe, we should inquire to one of our own about what could attract a male…to a male?" The last part made Aphrodite's voice lower dangerously and she threw a look over her shoulder towards Zeus, making the entire assembly of gods and goddesses turn towards him.

"That is quite enough, Aphrodite! I don't remember ever asking for critiques on fellow immortals behavior, just that I get your opinion on some of the bearers of the mystical armor that we helped create so long ago!" Zeus's voice thundered, echoing up to the ceiling. Electricity spiked in the air, shocking a few unwary gods if they hadn't been paying enough attention. Aphrodite and Zeus stared each other down for a few minutes, but it was Aphrodite who turned away first, starting to resume her report once again.

"The one that bears the armor of Hardrock, Kento, is very large because of his structure, but he is self-confident and tends to rely on jokes to communicate with his fellow warriors. As far as I can tell, he loves the bearer of Torrent as much as Torrent loves him. Rowen is the bearer of Strata and somehow has natural blue hair with blue eyes. He is also the resident genius for the group and is the one to often come up with a strategy should it be needed at the last minute. The final one that I was able to study was the bearer of Halo, whose name is Sage. He is an apparent healer, but seems cold and distant because of his upbringing. However, when his friends are around him, he can be a completely different person." Aphrodite forced herself to stop her report even as her mind rambled on about the blond beauty.

Dimly she was aware that Eros stood up from his seat, opening his mouth as if to add something to her report. Swallowing her fear at what the little mischief-maker could do she appeared next to him with a mere thought. Placing her hand on his shoulder before he went to the audience area, she communicated one simple thought to him through their contact. *Do not do anything foolish, my son. *

Eros gave her a disapproving look and gently shook the hand from his shoulder before fluttering quickly and easily to the audience area below. Fear filling her heart but not wanting to make a scene, Aphrodite slowly lowered herself into her own nearby seat, her eyes fixed on the scene unfolding below.

To her great relief, Eros said nothing more about the Elemental Armors or their bearers…instead he talked about the four Seasonal Armors. Zeus had apparently given him the second half of her responsibility when he sensed that she might be delayed getting information from the first five.

"The four seasonal armors, winter, spring, summer, and autumn, do not have the pure hearts that show strongly amongst the elemental armors. They live in a world very few mortals know about, called the Youja-kai, also known as the Demon's World or Netherworld. The bearers' names are Kale, Anubis, Dais and Sekhmet. These four have been in contact with their armor later and were much more aware of their thoughts, feelings and surroundings. Therefore, I might not have gotten an accurate reading on the bearers, but I collected what I could." Eros waited for a nod from Zeus, which told him to continue with his report.

"Kale is the bearer of Winter, also called the armor of darkness since its corruption four-hundred years ago. He seems moody and won't often let anyone underneath his shell. However, he is like Sage in that matter for his friends can break through to him just by including him in their activities.  The next, Anubis, is the bearer of the Spring armor, which was turned into the armor of corruption four hundred years ago. This man, Anubis, has a love for nature and is happiest when among wildlife. He is also one who had died in a battle that took place a couple years ago, but Hades was sacrificed to, although under a different name. Even though Hades was dormant at the time, Anubis spirit was released and has been living among the warlords for the past year now, quite content. Dais is the bearer of the Summer armor and the Summer was changed into the armor of Illusion when it was corrupted. He is extremely wise and seems to gain more knowledge merely by keeping his eyes and ears open to all possibilities. He seems very easy-going and willing to listen to someone's problems when he thinks he might have an answer. The final armor, Autumn, belongs to the man named Sekhmet. He is quick to anger and even faster to strike, but he also has a gentle side that only one other person knows about. That other person is Dais and I believe that the four hundred years these four have had together allowed something deeper than friendship to grow between Dais and Sekhmet. I do believe they are in love."  
  
There was a startled commotion that immediately rose from the assembled gods, but Eros seemed undisturbed by the reaction. Indeed, he waited calmly in the center of the audience-area for everyone to calm down before announcing his last bit of news.

"The last thing that I have found important enough to report on would be that the bearers are completely separate from the armors, unmarked by those who created the armors. As for me, I have already marked Cye and Kento as well as Dais and Sekhmet with my sacred emblem in love. They are NOT to have that love broken for any other reason unless one of you dares to cross me." Eros gave a stern look around the room. Although looks of shock adorned many of the younger gods, some of the older ones were giving nods of agreement, promising in their own way to leave the four mentioned alone.

Zeus dismissed the council with a wary glance towards Eros. All Eros did in response to Zeus's look was give him a grin. That grin, although extremely simple in nature was able to completely unnerve Zeus. Zeus, out of all of the gods, knew what true power and hidden dangers could lie within love.

After Zeus dismissed the assembly and he too had left the meeting area, Aphrodite slowly approached her son, a frown only slightly marring her radiant beauty. Eros, seeing the frown, knew he was about to be reprimanded for something but he held his ground.

"Eros." Her voice cut like poison into him, already an accusation hidden within.

"Yes, mother?" Eros cut off the accusation that would have followed had he allowed it. Instead, he turned to her, batting his lashes at her, putting forth an innocent mask.  Full charm might get him out of this mess. However, by the look hidden in his mother's eyes, he knew it was a dying hope that would never learn to fly.

"May I ask why you felt the need to bless the union of those abominations?" Her voice had a grinding edge to it, as if she wished to crush her son between them for what he had done. However, Eros only sighed in exasperation. Now that he knew why she was mad, he also knew how to fight her back.

"Because, _Mother_, love is love. It doesn't matter where it is found! Whether it exists between Man and Woman, Parent to Child, Sibling to Sibling…or, even, in a love between two of the same sex. It really doesn't matter because love is the same all the way around and we are supposed to be the protectors of this sacred thing that we call love. We cannot stop new forms or expressions of love just because we do not approve…we are only supposed to stop the abuse of love.

"Out of all the gods on Olympus, I thought my mother, Aphrodite, goddess of love herself!…would be able to understand what I saw at first glance. I guess I was wrong to place you in such a position of honor."  
  


Without another word, Eros vanished, leaving Aphrodite to stew over her own thoughts and feelings.

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Well, that's it for now…please be patient as I try to crank out the next chapter. Like I thought, these chapters are getting harder with each passing so ANY ideas that you have, please feel free to mention them! I'd be very appreciative.

As for the next chapter, I figured you might want a bit of a spoiler because the next chapter might be my longest one. I can assure you that it will definitely get extremely interesting from that point forward. Love triangles will abound around the five unmarked by Eros, but what they don't expect is for three goddesses to be dragged into the love as well. And did you wonder what trouble Eros would cause if someone was silly enough to really cross Aphrodite's helper of love? Well, keep your eyes peeled then for the next chapter! Later then!


	4. Breaking of a Seal

Play a Little Longer

Finally, I get to start on the fourth chapter!! I think you all will REALLY like this chapter, especially if you liked the last three. In this chapter…oh wait, you probably want to read it for yourselves, right? Well, far be it from me to stop you! Enjoy! And sorry about the mess-up last time…hope those of you that were caught in it don't mind reading this chapter again…or else you can just wait for the next chapter to come out…  
  
The only thing I have to do now is thank the following for their reviews and dedication to my story: Split Persona, Destiny's Lot, 

Also, thanks to the following for giving my story a try: Firestorm, 

(No notes for this chapter)

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That night, Mia's Mansion 

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A screech owl quietly landed on the roof of Mia's mansion. It twisted its head to one side, then to the other, being unusually quite for an owl, let alone a screech owl. Finally, almost as if it was pleased with no one being out and about to disturb it, it gave one hoot…and transformed into a beautiful young maiden.

Her eyes were stormy grey, her hair blond and tied up slightly in a ponytail that ran down past her shoulders, just barely ending at the middle of her back. She wore a silver dress, which sparkled in the moonlight but also revealed the garment for what it truly was. It was the hardest substance known to the gods and if this goddess ever came into trouble, it would act like an impenetrable armor. On top of her head rested a helmet and in one hand she held the Aegis, Zeus's shield with Medusa's head resting in the middle. She was none other than Athena, warrior goddess of the city and goddess of wisdom.

Without a word, she slipped through the ceiling and fell softly into a room that was almost dark. Above, the ceiling had fake, glowing stars plastered to it and each star was set up to resemble constellations, some of which she had even helped name. In the far corner, another light shone, coming from what she now knew to be called a lamp. It was resting on a desk, and seated at that desk was a young man who had caught her attention when Aphrodite was giving her report. His blue hair was slightly reflected from the nearby lamp.

Athena's heart fluttered as she took a step closer to the boy she had been compelled to look at, even just once. Even as she gazed upon him now, she knew it would not be the last time that she would see this young man, even if she was the one who had to make sure her prophecy came true. Forcing herself, she turned to see what had the young man working at so furiously. What was he doing that held his attention so?  
  
She gazed down at a large heap of papers, about sixteen in count. The print was small and she could tell that a whole pen might be used just to write this exhausting work. Curious about what the boy was doing, she reached out hesitantly, and then placed a finger to his temple.

Instantly, images flashed into her mind of a teacher who had balding hair and a worn sweater. He was assigning something…a twenty-page report about Physics and what they meant in the world. The students would have two weeks to finish the assignment. There would be no extra credit for turning it in early since this was a college class, but he would gladly take any papers that were completed before the deadline.

Athena pulled back, but she considered what she had seen. It had been Friday when this assignment had been assigned, that much she could gather from Rowen. And today…why, today was Sunday, only two days after the report was assigned and Rowen was almost completed with the assignment. She smiled, a feeling similar to pride surging through her even though she had just met this boy. At the same time, her heart fluttered, and she knew she was connected to this boy in a way no other mortal or immortal could ever understand.

After this realization, Athena found herself pulling away into a corner of the room so as to think back. Indeed, there had been only one man before that she had come dangerously close to falling in love with before - Odysseus of Ithaca. Even the memory of him and the mention of his name brought back a strange feeling in her stomach and her heart began to flutter. Yes, during that time period, just like now, she had been at her weakest. She had acted foolishly, going as far as assigning herself as Odysseus's luck just so she could be closer to him.

"Bah!" She whispered to herself, wrinkling her nose at the same time as if she smelled something terrible. "Love is weak."

But at the same time, she could not deny that something stirred her heart when she gazed at the blue haired youth sitting before her…this Rowen. He was still bent low over his desk, scribbling out his report. His eyes were half-lidded in exhaustion – it was past one-thirty in the morning – but his eyes were fever bright at the knowledge presented to him and the ability to feed knowledge back out to others…a self-quiz in a way of what he could remember.

Athena smiled; she knew then and there that this was what she was attracted to…a man's love for knowledge. Truly, loving a man's wits and cunning was different from loving the man for his attitude or his body. "Truly," She decided, still whispering to herself, "this is why I am still considered to be one of the three virgin goddesses, unable to be swayed by Aphrodite's spells or Eros's arrows…it is because our love does not deal with the man as a whole, but a part of the man that is very hard to obtain."

Rowen suddenly sat back in his chair and Athena took an instinctive step backwards, bumping into the wall in the process. She did not wish to be seen by this handsome young man…not yet at least. However, Rowen just stretched and yawned, setting his pen down and massaging his hand after having worked for…Two hours? Could that clock possibly be right?

Rowen also glanced at the clock, turning his eyes away from his paper. Eager to see what he had written down, Athena inched forward. Slowly and quietly, she shifted the papers, reading Rowen's report, her own eyes glowing at the knowledge she was drinking in. When she came to the end, she smiled, knowing that it had been presented correctly, defended and wrapped up conclusively. There was no reason he shouldn't get a perfect mark…and if the teacher had a problem with that…well, then, she would just have to talk to him, wouldn't she?

Feeling a feather light brush of breath against her neck, she turned slowly, half expecting and half wanting Rowen to be gazing at her in wonder, a thousand questions racing through his midnight colored eyes. However, as she turned back to him, she felt a slight twinge of anger in her stomach to see that Rowen was practically fast asleep in his chair; his once fever-bright eyes were now weighed down by sleep, his face completely relaxed as Hypnos, god of dreams, led him elsewhere from this mortal realm. His breathing slowed down into a steadier pace and all Athena could do was watch him in amazement.

Athena finally stirred herself from her revere as she ran a hand through his fine, blue locks. Smiling, she picked him out of the chair, cradling him to her chest like the child he truly was. Gently, she rocked him back and forth a little as she walked over to his bed, pulling his covers down with a thought. She stood by his bed for a moment, allowing Rowen to drink in the peace and calmness from her aura before bending low over the bed and softly dropping him in his bed.  
  
Still in deep sleep, Rowen heaved a sigh and curled away from Athena, turning onto his stomach and facing the wall. Gently, she brought the covers up around him and tucked them in just like a mother would. Finally, with the touch of a butterfly, she placed a kiss on his forehead. When she pulled back, the ancient Greek symbol for her name flared on his forehead for a moment before sinking in. Satisfied now that he was marked as hers and would forever only be hers, she smiled and vanished back to Mount Olympus in the blink of an eye.

In his sleep, visions of Sage carefully placing him in bed and kissing him goodnight plagued him, chasing away any image the goddess may have thought to leave him with. However, her mark still burned on him, waiting for those who could see and were willing to search to know that Rowen belonged to Athena…well, at least as far as gods and goddesses were concerned, for his heart truly did belong to another.

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The Next Day, Mount Olympus 

Aphrodite smiled as she watched Hera wandering around outside her home as Helios began to bring the sun down into the oceans for another night's rest. Now would be the perfect time to act upon her plan.

Already she had made sure that Zeus would be taken care of for the night…some young maiden in Mexico with the name of Laternia would keep him busy and away from Olympus for now. All she had to do was use Hera now for the second step of her plan.

In her observations of the Elemental Armors, she noticed that Rowen, the blue-haired youth, hardly left the blonde's side. He would often wake from a deep sleep in the middle of the night to check on Sage and she couldn't have that if she was going to take the blond for herself now, could she? That was what Hera was for. Hera had an appetite for certain men and Aphrodite figured that Rowen might satisfy that appetite. However, just to be safe, she had slipped one of her own most potent love potions into her nectar…the best part was it would only activate when she desired it to.

Smiling, she finally stepped forth from the shadows and into Hera's line of view.

"Aphrodite! What could you possibly have to do so late at night and so near my home?" Hera asked, pausing in her pacing and looking Aphrodite over with a careful eye. If she were to try and seduce her husband, the younger goddess was going about it all wrong…letting you be seen by your enemy was the worst mistake you could ever make.

"Peace, Hera. I mean you – or your husband no harm. I actually have come to warn you that Zeus…isn't home right now and will not be able to attend to his nightly duties with you tonight." Aphrodite said slowly, repeating the lines she had rehearsed for so long. As she expected, Hera's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"What have you done with him, witch?" Hera asked, her voice ice-cold and laced with venom.

"I have done nothing with him. It is not always my fault when Zeus is smitten with a girl."

"Where is he?"

"Somewhere in the country of Mexico…with a girl known as Laternia." Aphrodite put a hand over her mouth, forcing her eyes to look sad for Hera's sake when in truth she was smiling.

"That husband…I will drag him home by his EARS!! And then I will find an excruciating death for the girl that dared take him to bed." She was about to disappear to find her husband when Aphrodite stopped her once again, her hand falling from her face and a frown wrinkling her brow.

"I'm sorry, Hera, but I cannot allow you to kill the mortal girl."

"It is my right to punish my husband as I see fit. Do you disagree with me?" Hera's cold glare turned on Aphrodite, forcing her to freeze. It was never wise to cross paths with the queen of the gods, but Aphrodite had to do this. She had been unable to stop the torture of any girl that had attracted Zeus's fancy in the past because Hera often sought her revenge in a quiet manner. Now, she could not allow this to happen…as Eros had told her, it was their job to stop the abuse of love.

"You have every right to punish your husband, yes. But you cannot harm the mortal girl or their love. I am the goddess of love and I cannot sit by while you violate my area of expertise!" Aphrodite's voice was thundering and power crackled at the ends of each fingertip.

Hera, seeing Aphrodite truly angry for the first time, backed down in her argument.

"What do you suggest I do then, O great mistress of love?" The sarcasm was heavy in her voice, but Aphrodite chose to ignore that since she knew she had helped spare Laternia's life. For some reason, this simple fact gave her a great feeling of power and she was about to suggest only a scolding that would ring around the heavens…when she suddenly remembered her plan.

"I would…uhm, I would suggest…that since jealousy flows through your veins for such a traitorous deed that you get him back by making him jealous. Lay with another man tonight, have him get you pregnant…and relish in the wonderful sight at seeing Zeus's reaction to the child you bear which does not belong to him in any way." Aphrodite smiled as Hera nodded in agreement, turning away from the goddess of love for a moment before turning back.

"May I ask where one should find such a man as this that you speak as if you have already met him?" Hera asked softly, her voice still cold but her eyes obviously warming to the proposal set before her. Aphrodite gave a slight smile before continuing.

"That is because I have met a mortal man such as that…one that is worthy to sleep with the queen of the gods. He is one of the armor bearers, the bearer of Artemis's armor, Strata. Rowen would definitely heal the wounds that Zeus has left in your heart." Aphrodite explained, her heart falling as she saw that Hera was already pulling away from the plan. She must find a way to get Hera into Rowen's bed this night…for truly, she could wait no longer to see what the blond beauty could do in bed. "Do not tell me that the great queen is afraid herself to leave her own mark upon the Armor bearers?"

"No, it is not that. I would love to leave a mark such as that to be remembered by for centuries to come…but something whispers in my ear that this deed is terrible. It will only lead to death and destruction…the armor bearers are a handful of mortals that we should not touch. Fate has chosen them for something special, I just know it." Hera explained softly, unconsciously biting one of her nails in her apprehension.

Aphrodite gave a sinister smile. "Surely your mind will be made for the other way when you lay eyes upon this young man."  
  
Without waiting for another moment or an argument to come from Hera, she grabbed the queen of the gods by the arm and disappeared with her to the home where the Elemental Armor bearers resided.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

That Night at Mia's Mansion 

Sage was so happy! He had every right to be since Cye had talked to him this afternoon.

It seemed that Cye had become aware of how Sage had felt for Rowen. Cye had talked to Sage in his room for over an hour, taking forever to get the truth out of Sage. When he finally did have a more positive answer, he had plowed ahead, telling Sage that he thought Rowen was in the same situation. Cye said that he thought Rowen was going through similar feelings for Sage. He also told Sage that Rowen had told him he would be staying home to sleep since he hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. This would be the perfect opportunity for them both to tell each other how they felt.

So all Sage had to do, now that dinner was over, was wait for an hour so that Cye could get Kento, Ryo and Mia out of the house. The excuse was that Sage and Rowen had stayed up too late the night before and they were just going to go to bed early tonight. At least this lie was partially true.

Sage smiled when he heard the jeep starting up, then listened as it slowly backed down the driveway and drove away from the house. He counted off five minutes, making sure that if the others had forgotten something, they would have time to come back and claim it. When no one came back, Sage pushed off from his bed and checked the window. No returning lights or waiting taillights…Rowen and Sage now had the house to themselves.

Smiling, Sage quietly left his room and took the long way to Rowen's room instead of cutting through the adjoining bathroom. He knocked softly, but no answer came. Still grinning slightly, he put a hand to the doorknob and slowly twisted it, pushing the door open slightly.

Rowen was curled up on top of his covers, fast asleep…just like he had thought Rowen would be.

He took another step forward, reaching out a hand to caress the gentle cascade of blue locks lying above the sleeping face of the one he truly loved. However, as he reached forward, something stirred by Rowen's side and Sage halted, stopping his approach to see what was going on.

Rowen slept on, completely oblivious as an asp uncurled itself from his side and raised its head to glare at the one it sensed to be the intruder…Sage.

Sage gulped back his fear, not knowing what to do. An asp was a snake that lived most commonly in the land of Egypt…so what was one doing here in Japan? More specifically, what was one doing in the bed of his love?

"Rowen…" Sage whispered, keeping his eyes trained on the asp. He had to get Rowen out of here before the asp had a chance to strike and kill…but how to do that without the snake attacking? "Rowen!" Sage hissed at the sleeper once again, fear rising from the pit of his stomach as the asp slithered further over Rowen, as if to protect the blue-haired youth from Sage.

Sage opened his mouth to try and wake Rowen up once again only to see the snake open its mouth in response. It gave a long warning hiss and Sage closed his mouth. The snake didn't stop hissing though, and soon Sage became aware that it was talking…to him!

"…away. Thissss boy issss mine!" The snake hissed, flaring its hood to convey its meaning. It opened its mouth and its fangs came down. Dimly, Sage could see a yellow liquid just barely clinging to the fangs…the asp's venom. And he was hovering right above Rowen's face. If Rowen were to open his eyes as that venom fell…it most surely would result in blinding a person temporarily…if not permanently.

Sage, concerned, slowly backed up and left the room, shutting the door behind him but placing his ear against the cold wood. He had to make sure that Rowen would be all right.

Negation 

There was no sound from the other room…no moan of pain, no hissing from a snake, no rustling of bed sheets. There was nothing that conveyed life beyond the door…no stir of life giving breath.

'Oh…gods…' Sage thought as the worst conclusion came to mind. The snake…why was he so stupid to leave Rowen alone in a room with such a deadly creature? Rowen could be dead or dying now and he was too scared to move forward and help…

Just like how he had felt when Ryo had needed his help a few days ago. Ryo had almost died then…he could not allow Rowen to take that place.

With a surge of courage, he stepped forward, forcing the door open again. His eyes immediately fell to the sleeper that hadn't changed position since he had last looked in a few moments before. However, this time, no snake was lying by Rowen's side or draped over him. Sage looked again to Rowen's sleeping form, checking for any signs of life. His chest rose and fell, indicating the warrior of Strata still lived. The asp had never delivered a killing bite.

Sage sagged with relief against the doorjamb, a feeling of pure relief and exhaustion washing over him. Slowly, he collected himself to puzzle over something. He had been almost certain that a snake HAD been lying next to Rowen, waiting to bite. However, that same snake supposedly talked to him and that didn't happen in the real world at all. Was it possible that Sage really was too tired, unable to tell the difference between dreams and reality? Could this be a dream right now?

Sage pinched his arm, hard…and the pain that responded told him the answer to that question. No, this was real…at least, now it was real.

A new stirring came from Rowen's bed and Sage slowly lifted his eyes, fear compelling him to do so and fearing at the same time that he would see the horrid asp once again…that once again that asp would talk to him…He scolded himself, saying that he needed to get some sleep as his face continued to rise and see what continued to twist and turn beside Rowen's sleeping form.

When he finally did look up, he breathed a sigh of relief. There was no snake…but something was curled up to Rowen's side once again. Sage took a step closer, trying to find out what it was…

A woman stretched out by Rowen, raising her head slightly as she rained kisses across the blue-haired archers brow. Sage continued to stand in the doorway, his mouth hanging open in shock. The woman looked up at him and gave a faint smile before leaning forward once again, this time to capture Rowen's lips in a kiss.

She started softly, slightly pulling at Rowen's lips as if to arouse some reaction from one that was clearly entirely asleep. But was Rowen truly asleep? For as the woman continued, the archer curved his back and moaned, joining into the kiss with passion. He captured her lips as well, bruising them with the ferocity that he forced his lips upon her pale pink ones.

Sage backed into the hall and away from the display before his eyes. He couldn't believe what he had just seen and yet his mind screamed at him otherwise. 'Rowen isn't gay! Of course he couldn't have loved you like you had hoped! Rowen never loved you like you felt attracted to him because Rowen wasn't ever gay. Cye had been wrong in this instance…Rowen wasn't gay…he had chosen another, a woman to fill any need he might have.'

His mind kept up the barrage as Sage stumbled back to his room, his eyes burning and blurring with unshed tears. He choked back a sob that was lodged in his throat, but he knew he had to say it…he had to put an end to his feelings.

As he collapsed onto his bed, he finally got the nerve and choked out the three words that he hoped would release him. "Rowen…isn't…gay…" He trailed off as tears seemed to burn down his cheeks like fire, but he didn't make a move to wipe them away. Instead, he stayed how he was, half on his bed and half off, the covers rumpled under him as his mind slowly shut down any feelings he might have ever felt for the blue-haired archer. His heart ached terribly at the task and he didn't even know if he could continue this task tonight…maybe he should sleep on it…

His eyes felt heavy just at the thought, but it was heavy because he felt like some external force was forcing it upon him. He knew this and forced his tear-streaked face up to see who was in the room with him, half hoping it would be Rowen trying to explain the terrible dream he had seen in the archer's room.

But Rowen didn't stand above him. Instead, a beautiful woman stood there, her long blond hair cascading down in ripples around her shoulders and down her back. Her slightly violet eyes, so akin to his, sparkled in the dark with sympathy he could not understand but desperately needed. When she saw that she held his attention, she knelt next to him, brushing away a stray tear and pushing her scantily clad body closer to his. He didn't shy away from the touch even though his mind screamed for it.

Indeed, it seemed like he was living a dream, the edges becoming blurred like a distant memory as she lifted him with ease off the ground and gently into bed. His eyes traversed her body and he could hardly believe it when his voice, harsh with tears, invited her to lie down next to him. She did so slowly, a sleeve of her dress drooping and exposing herself to him. She touched him between the eyes with a beguiling smile and Sage felt him smiling back, unaware of the mark this goddess had left on him. He leaned back on his bed, opening himself for the invitation and she stretched out along him.

Sage smiled as he ran his hands over her bare back moments later. Tonight would be a night to force horrible memories away and replace them with something special. He had exerted himself in a few wonderful moments, exhausting himself like he had never thought possible.

The woman that lay to the side of him stirred awake and clutched her dress to her as she slowly rose. Sage wanted to rise with her, giving protest to the fact that she should leave. He wanted her to stay because she made him feel important but he could make no such request. Instead, he squeaked out, "When shall I see you again?"  
  


The woman shook her head, forcing her blond hair to ripple in different directions. She smiled softly and touched him between the eyes again. The touch seemed to force sleep upon Sage and he found himself lying back down against his will and closing his eyes.

"You shall not see me again, Sage Date, armor bearer of Halo." She whispered to him as his last amount of consciousness faded. "Indeed, I will be surprised if you remember this encounter at all." _But I know Father Zeus knows of our meeting. He will be most displeased that I tainted his precious Halo. Indeed, we shall be lucky if our child even survives his anger._ At that very thought, Aphrodite placed a hand against her flat belly as if she could already feel the little life's heartbeat. Even a goddess could not have that great of powers, but a goddess did know when she had conceived. And tonight would bring forth a very beautiful child.

With one more thought, Aphrodite vanished back to her home on Mount Olympus.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A cave somewhere in the Underworld 

Three unearthly howls boiled up from the Underworld, shaking mountains and boiling waters that resided just above the place where the three fates resided. To say they were upset was an understatement.

"Foolish Immortals!!" Lachesis, dispenser of destiny howled, her anger still burning beneath the surface. She wanted to strangle two goddesses in particular, Hera and Aphrodite for they had interfered with her plans…the plans that had involved Sage Date and Rowen Hashiba! Those two had been meant for each other since before many others creation! It wasn't fair that two stupid goddesses and their need for release had destroyed Rowen and Sage's only chance on that night! She let loose another cry that she hoped would reach Father Zeus's ears.

Her sisters, Clotho, spinner of the life thread, and Atropos, cutter of the thread at death, howled with her in sheer agony and anger at what had been done on this night. These boys had been planned before the great sleep that had fallen upon them all over two and a half thousand years ago. They had been planned for and set up for a time when the three Fates had hoped the gods would still be sleeping. However, the first thing they had seen upon their awakening was that their careful plans were to be shattered in one night…the very night they woke up.

"They have ruined my perfect threads! Those foolish goddesses! Atropos, you should cut their threads for the taint they have laid upon the ones we had planned so long for!" Clotho moaned as she went up to two threads, a green and a blue one, that had been pinned to the wall. She touched them gingerly, a touch only a mother could have and burst into new tears. She had never cried before, never!! She looked back up at the two threads and hated to see red and black sewn in with their pure colors. It wasn't fair, but she knew she would have to weave two new threads today…the children of the action she so abhorred. She knew that if she didn't give these two infants a chance at life that only more suffering would come from the wounds inflicted.

Going off to her corner, she snatched her threads and began to knit even as Lachesis continued in her rage.

"This is unjust! They were supposed to love only one another, untainted by anything else! They were to be the ones to save the world when the gods tested them…now they are to be the ones to die!" Lachesis sank to her knees on the cold stone floor, sobs still wracking her body at the disaster she saw for the future.

Atropos had not moved from the cauldron where all life ended and began, where the Fates poured the soul in and yanked it out. Her eyes snapped open suddenly…she had seen something new.

"This love…the goddesses love the two bearers in a way we cannot understand. Three goddesses love the two, but only two will be there for our favorites when they suffer through death. Somehow, the two will survive their ordeal…and through their close death, they shall love again. Unfortunately, we shall not be aware to see their love blossom."

The prophecy ended and Atropos looked up at her sisters to see new hope shining in their eyes. She smiled back to them, happy that Gaea and Chaos were not so utterly cruel in their plans…that the fates would not have to kill the ones they had labored over to create.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Okay sorry to some of you that already read this chapter because of a major human error before!! I was warned about it on the first night but it was too late or something and I didn't catch it! So sorry, and I hope that it doesn't dampen your liking of my stories!!

Please R&R and be a little patient, the next chapter shall be out soon!


	5. To Break a Heart

Play a Little Longer

Oh-ho! What shall happen now? I bet you're wondering about the relationship between Rowen and Sage…or what about the punishment reserved for Aphrodite and Hera? Well, go ahead and read to find out! I'm not stopping you…not yet anyways!

**A very important note**: There was a goddess I forgot to list in the first chapter introduction. Her name is Hestia to the Greeks, Vestia to the Romans. She was the goddess of the hearth and was often given thanks by each family for meals, shelter and safety. She was also known to carry a child about to be born around the house once, making it even more part of the family before it was born. Although she is considered a very minor goddess in some sense, she was still very important to each individual family. Where each house had one god or goddess they worshipped above all else, Hestia was always included as another goddess to automatically give thanks to. So before you eat the last cookie…just kidding, but please enjoy the story!  
  


I also wanted to thank the following persons for their reviews: **Split Persona**…what? That's it?! Oh come on peoples, PLEASE keep reviewing! I'm serious when I say that your reviews make all the difference in my story!

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**_Mia's Mansion, the Next Morning_**

Sage yawned as he stepped into the kitchen early the next morning. He mussed up his hair which only succeeded in making the locks fall into a more attractive position as he sat down at the dining table after saying a good morning to Cye.

Cye smiled cheerfully back at Sage and flipped another pancake before laying a short stack in front of Sage. It had some syrup and butter, but the best part was that it had his favorite fruit, bananas, topping it off. Sage smiled brightly as he took down six cups and appropriate silverware for himself and his roommates.

"Hey, Cye, what is all this? Normally you never cook a breakfast for us." Sage asked as Ryo and Kento stumbled in, still looking bed-rumpled and sleepy.

"Well, I think today is a special day."

"Really? How?" Sage asked, not eating the first bite of pancakes he had halfway to his mouth.

"You and Rowen, Sage! You get to tell us all about how it went last night!" Kento said, suddenly looking more awake than ever before. The Chinese boy actually seemed extremely excited.

Sage, however, just shook his head and let a frown form to convey his puzzlement. He was slowly remembering something about last night…something about him having to talk to Rowen about…something. He just couldn't put his finger on it. "I don't understand. What were Rowen and I supposed to do last night?"  
  
Ryo and Kento's faces fell in utter disbelief while Cye looked slightly offended.

"Oh, man, you can't tell me this! Sage, we know the two of you have been digging each other for over half a year now…and you didn't tell him last night when we all vacated for just that reason?" Kento exclaimed, his voice slightly high. "Geez, talk about a ruined night."

Sage, however, suddenly remembered a few flashes about last night and lost interest in Kento's comment halfway through. He remembered…Rowen…with an asp hanging over him…then a beautiful woman curled next to Rowen's side, taking kisses from the archer as if they had been old friends…he remembered…

"Good mornin'." Rowen said from the doorway to the rest of his friends, startling Sage out of his memories long before Sage could remember everything that had happened last night.

Sage looked up into Rowen's face to see a silly grin stuck on as his friend settled down at the table with the rest. Sage glowed with hidden anger though, having remembered enough to make him plenty angry at Rowen. Rowen looked over at Sage and asked for something, but Sage didn't process the request as anger churned like angry waves in his ears.

Sage stood up briskly, forcing his chair away with a loud screech across the linoleum. Four pairs of eyes immediately focused on the blond warrior of light, but he kept his eyes hidden behind his screen of blond hair.

"I'm going out to meditate…I'm not that hungry, Cye…but thanks for making it." Keeping his head lowered, Sage quickly brushed out of the room.

The others stared after him in shock, not knowing that the blond warrior had been hiding his tears from his friends…and the one he had hoped to love forever.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Mount Olympus 

Athena was so upset! She had been down to the armor bearer's residence early this morning…just in time to see Hera depart Rowen's bedroom with a satisfied smirk set on her face. Athena had grown sick to her stomach as she approached the still sleeping Rowen, knowing that he had been violated in a way that he would never remember…'twas merely the curse and blessing of the gods.

However, she had approached the boy and healed him as best as she knew how by erasing any memory he might have retained about the night he had spent in Hera's arms. However, his virginity would be one thing she could never gain back for him…no god could ever bring that back.

Now Athena was outside of her father's home, banging on the doors and demanding admittance. After waiting only a few seconds, she tired of this charade and made her way in by shifting through the wall and not waiting for a proper welcome.

"Father!" She raged as Zeus stumbled out of the bedroom he was supposed to be shared with Hera, sleep still lining his features.

"Athena, my daughter…what brings you here so early in the morn that Helios has not even brought the sun horses out of the stable yet?" Zeus asked, covering a yawn with one hand. Athena stomped her foot in frustration.

"Father, your wife violated one of the armor bearers last night…one that I had marked under my protection!" The house trembled slightly at the sound of Athena's rage.

Zeus, however, took the anger in stride and led his daughter into a sitting room. As he sat down with her, he asked her in a calm voice what had gone wrong.

"Your wife slept with the bearer of Strata last night, making love to him when that duty is supposed to be with you." Athena ground out through clenched teeth. Her hands tightened into fists, nails cutting into her palms, but no blood was drawn. "I had marked him the night previous to be under my protection, but she violated that mark by doing her deed."

"This does not sound like the Hera I know at all." Zeus murmured, then continued when he felt Athena wanted an explanation. "I went off for another girl last night with thanks to Aphrodite's menacing love potions. While I was gone, Aphrodite might have been free to taint Hera…I've known for some time now that she fancies the blond warrior, Sage of the Halo. That was why I placed him under MY protection. If what you say is true and my suspicions are correct…"  
  
Athena grinned slightly. She was happy now, knowing that Hera and Aphrodite would be punished. Now all she had to decide upon was what to do with the child she knew Hera had conceived last night.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A section of Mia's land, later that afternoon 

Sage breathed deeply of the clean mountain air as he settled upon a rock next to a hidden stream. It was his hideout, something he knew the other boys had not found yet and a place he wasn't too sure he would want to share…at least, not right now. It always calmed him when he came here; it allowed him to sort through any problem he ever had.

A cool breeze from the stream dried the final remnants of tears and settled him into a deeper peace. He breathed deeply, pulling in clean air and pushing out the bad as he sank into a meditative state.

"Sage?" A soft voice whispered behind him, disrupting his meditation. Sage gave an angry sigh, but turned to see who had followed him. It was Cye.

"Cye, what do you want?" Sage asked, his voice harsh and uncharacteristic.

"You want to talk about what happened last night?"  
  


"Nothing happened last night…so I don't need to talk about anything." Sage replied coolly, averting his face from his friend. He knew he might lose his control if he stared into Cye's concerned, ocean-blue eyes.

"Sage, I know you felt sadness and…and anger back there, in the kitchen. You may have great shields, but I'm an empath too and I could feel some of the tension in you. Please, tell me what's bothering you." Cye replied quickly. Sage refused to answer and the silence stretched for quite some time between the two friends before Cye stood up to leave. "All right, Sage. I won't lie and say I understand what's going on because I don't…but just know that all of us are here for you and you can talk to any of us whenever you need it."   
  
Cye laid a gentle, comforting hand on his friend's shoulder and felt a small shiver course down Sage's back as sobs were suppressed. He waited a minute to see if Sage wanted to add anything before he turned to leave.

"Thanks Cye." Sage choked out as Cye started to leave. The words were hardly distinguishable from one another as Sage struggled to regain control of his emotions, but Cye stopped and turned back to face Sage.

"Hey, no problem…that's what friends are for, remember? See you for dinner, all right?" Cye added softly before heading back to the house. Sage just smiled and relaxed again, determined to remember as much about last night as he could.

However, the more he thought, the more last night became misty.

"What happened to me last night?! Why can't I remember?" Sage cried out, pushing his hands against his temples in frustration.

_The truth lies in your heart, Sage of the Halo. If you search it, everything will be made clear_. The crystal like voice that held so much wisdom washed around the entire clearing like a soothing spring.

Sage drank greedily of the peace. He opened his eyes briefly to try and find the person who had spoken with such wisdom, but no one was there.

"I thank you, whoever you are. You have given me the precious gift of peace." Sage said softly, then slowly started on his meditation once again.

Apollo, god of truth and purity, watched the blond warrior from a short distance. He smiled, knowing that he was well hidden from the boy's piercing gray eyes…and he was pleased to hear the thankful praise slip from the boy's mouth as well. It had been so long since anyone had bothered to converse with him in normal standards…

Stepping forward, Apollo laid a hand on Sage's shoulder and closed his eyes, knowing the boy had a right to know about what happened last night. No one should be the father of a child…and not know.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Mount Olympus 

It took a few minutes, but finally Hera and Aphrodite were standing before Zeus and Athena, their heads bowed in reverence but not shame. In fact, they had small smirks of satisfaction on their lips as new life began blooming in their wombs.

"Are you aware of the consequence you bring by breaking our marks we placed on the two mortal bearers of Strata and Halo?" Zeus's voice thundered, making the whole heavens shake with a new storm. Aphrodite and Hera, however, never swayed in their satisfaction. "Tell me the truth! Last night, with whom did you share your bed?"

"Why Zeus, faithful husband that you are…if you are truly the king of the gods, is that an appropriate question? You should already know the truth." Hera said simply, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Aphrodite smiled slightly in agreement but added nothing to what the queen of the gods had to say.

"Tell me the truth! I want to hear this abomination slip from your own lips!" Zeus thundered and for the first time, Hera felt a trill of fear. Swallowing heavily, she nodded slightly.

"I did share a bed with Rowen of Strata last night." Hera conceded, lowering her head once again, this time in fear.

"And you, Aphrodite?" Zeus asked, his voice calmer now that he had one confession but no less threatening. Aphrodite snarled in an almost feral way, but she nodded as well.

"I shared a bed with Sage, the bearer of Halo."

Zeus sat back, his face grave and his expression unreadable. Athena, looking up at him, feared for a brief instant what punishment he would unleash.

"For this crime…the two of you shall be banished from Olympus for the span of two weeks. You must work the hard life as a mortal before you can return. And the children you both carry as of now…they shall die for your behavior!" Zeus commanded. At the sound of his words, a servant came forth with a concoction of hemlock to give to the woman. In its brewed form, it would only attack the womb and not the women themselves.

Both Aphrodite and Hera took the cup offered to them, their color draining from their face. Their stomachs rolled in disbelief as they placed the cup to their lips and prepared to take the first swallow…Indeed, the only thing that kept them from dashing the cups upon the marble floor was the compulsion Zeus had commanded into his words. In their foolish state, they had been subject to his will and now had to follow his command.

"Wait!" Athena cried, stepping forward to stop the drinking of the poison. "Father, I cannot allow this to happen! Hera and Aphrodite did commit a high crime and for that they should be punished…by why should we punish the children of their union when these children did not choose when and where and how they would come into this world?!"

"I will not tolerate my wife being pregnant of a child not from my get!" Zeus bellowed, standing up from his seat. However, he too looked uneasy about the task that must be performed.

"That's funny…I quite clearly remember that you seeded several girls before and allowed their children to live in bliss. Why is it so different with every child I have that is not from our union?" Hera asked. The drink was still poised near her lips as if her hand was immobile.

"Be quiet!" Zeus commanded and waved his hands. Hera felt her lips seal shut and she glared up at him, unable to comment now. "Athena, you may decide what to do with Hera's child since she broke your mark."  
  
Athena smiled. "I'm going to have Hera hand over the child for me to raise." Hera breathed a sigh of relief. At least she could still have the child while it was growing in her womb. "And I want to raise it starting now."

"Mmmph!!" Hera screamed. Her voice was muffled since her mouth was still sealed shut.

"You want to take on the care of a fetus and later, a child?" Zeus asked incredulously. Athena was his favorite daughter and even though she was millennia old, he still wasn't certain he wanted her to have to deal with raising a child. Normally, the gods just left the child with a mortal parent. There was also, for the first time, a time factor to consider as well…would the child have enough time to even emerge from the fetus stage in this short span before the gods would fade?

"Yes, Father. I would like to care for this child like you once cared for me when I was born." Athena added, remembering the stories of how her father had saved her from her dying mother by placing her, as a fetus, near his head. He had done the same thing for Dionysus by placing the fetus in his thigh.

"Athena, I must caution you against this for two reasons. One, the child shall never be able to be born before we fade from existence. Two, the only way to counter that is to stay in Olympus for the next three weeks so the child will be born faster. However, if that is your course of action, then the child shall be immortal and will fade with us when the time comes." Zeus really didn't want to have his daughter's heart broken.

"Your wrong, father…there is one other way that the child could be born within the amount of time we have left…and still be able to lead a normal, mortal life afterwards. Please, father. This is the punishment I demand. I want to have the child of Rowen, bearer of the armor of Strata."

  
With a heavy sigh, Zeus slowly nodded. With a wave, Hera felt a giant rip come from her womb and watched with tear-filled eyes as a golden orb floated from her to Athena's outstretched hands. She watched angrily as the bastard child of Zeus and some un-remembered mortal cradled the ball of life against her as Zeus assigned the punishment for Aphrodite and Halo's child.

"I would normally think it unfair for you to keep the child when my wife will not. However, you will go to earth appearing that you are almost ready to give birth. Whatever method allows Athena to have the child grow faster shall also be yours. You, my fair Aphrodite, shall learn how truly terrible it is to lust so much. You shall have the excruciating ordeal of a mortal birth…only for me to take the child from you in the end."  
  
Hera looked over to see Aphrodite's eyes fill with tears. "You will kill my child?" She asked hoarsely, her hand immediately flying to her womb.

"No! But you shall experience the pain of giving birth…and only the pain, for I am giving command of the child to Athena once it is born. You shall not have the joy of holding the babe in your arms or even to glance upon the child's face. Athena shall raise them both on the island of Crete, where I myself was raised…and neither of you shall ever be able to see them unless Athena wills it." Zeus explained softly as he turned to Athena, his daughter that still cradled the infant light that had come from Hera's womb. "Will you be willing to take on another child?"

Aphrodite's eye flew to the young goddess of wisdom and was concerned to see the young maiden had her eyes still fastened on the golden orb of light. In truth, it seemed like Athena had heard nothing of the conversation after the infant had been entrusted to her.

However, slowly, Athena raised her head to gaze at Zeus's face. Silently, Aphrodite wondered what kind of magic was being worked as Athena gazed into Zeus's stormy blue eyes for what seemed like an eternity. Truly, any promise that did come from this encounter would be forged, tainted by the magic of Zeus's compulsion.

After still a few more moments of silence, Athena turned to Aphrodite and stated that she would look after the babe that came from Aphrodite and Sage's union. She even went as far to state that she would love the child as her own. Her voice sounded normal enough and it was filled with emotion…maybe she was working from her own influence and not directed by Zeus at all…

However, Aphrodite opened her mouth to object to this unfair treatment, to raise the alarm that she feared her child would not survive infancy in the arms of Athena. But even as Athena began her protest, her world grew dark. Her two week sentence as a mortal was to begin shortly and she watched in desperation, trying to force out her last concern before time was up.

Nonetheless, she faded from heavenly Mount Olympus without Zeus hearing word one of her complaint.

After Aphrodite and Hera had been sent off to live out their punishment in the mortal realm, Zeus turned to his daughter.

"Pray, dear daughter, to tell me what wonderful solution you know of to quicken a child's infancy." Zeus asked, his voice rumbling like rolling thunder.

Athena looked to her father, her mind still locked in the fact that she soon have two beautiful children to look after. Indeed, they would be even more special since they were children of the famous armor bearers, already proclaimed to absolute in purity because of half of their parentage. Eventually, what her father had asked penetrated her train of thought as she answered him.

"Father, I once heard of Hestia knowing how to birth babes quickly and sooner than they should in case the babe would give a mother an untimely death at their birth."

"Yes, I heard of Hestia being the keeper of such knowledge before as well…but those children all died either as they left their mother or a few days afterwards. They were just too weak on their own."

"But if Hestia was able to birth a babe before its time, maybe she knows how to make a child that has half the blood of an immortal to grow faster." Athena pleaded and Zeus paused in thought. He had never considered that possibility before…

Zeus gave his permission to Athena, summoning Hestia with his mind as he told Athena so. Together, the two goddesses were able to concoct a mixture of tansy, oak leaves, pure clovers honey, and a few other miscellaneous items along with their own magic for what they hoped would only allow the child to grow quickly in the womb. A steaming mixture was poured forth into two clay cups and Athena hesitantly raised it to her lips after her own womb accepted the child that belonged to Hera and Rowen.

"My daughter, are you sure you want to do something such as this?" Zeus asked, fear choking his voice slightly. "If it does not work, not only is the babe's life at stake, but yours as well."

"Shush, Zeus, let the girl drink in peace. Another key ingredient into this concoction is the courage of the mother…without that, the potion will surely fail!"

"Have you not listened to the story, old hag?! Athena is not the mother of this child! My traitor…" Zeus began to rant as Athena stopped, the drink poised near her lips as she started to tremble with fear.

Athena didn't want to die…but she too did not want to die.

"It doesn't matter who sired the child, Zeus…it only matters who raises the child as their own. The same goes with adoption or the taking in of an abused child. Without love and proper guidance, the child cannot grow into their full potential. Without medicine and the courage to do what is right, the child would be taken by the harsh elements. This is fate, Zeus, even you can feel it in your bones. You cannot stop fate." Hestia proclaimed, her voice echoing around the heavens.

Zeus growled. "No, but I can avert it to a later time."

"And jeopardize the heartache Athena will feel by losing this child? I am the goddess of the hearth; I know the child has already bonded with Athena even more than it had bonded with Hera. This was meant to happen and if you disrupt it in any way, both shall die!"

She also could feel the bond that Hestia had talked about. She knew that if this child died, even if it was from a mere sip of this potion, she herself would fade long before the other gods.

Athena was about to dash the cup on the marble floor even as Hestia and Zeus continued to argue, but something held her hand back. She looked to see who held her and beheld a shimmering form that floated.

The form hovered and blew about by an unseen wind, her hair tangling itself but not getting knotted. She wore a pure white gown that conveyed innocence, but her expression was grim.

Athena, my daughter…please, do not destroy your hope. You have done everything right, your child shall live.

Athena gulped back tears. She had only heard stories before, she had never actually seen a….a restless spirit. But now one stood before her…a restless one stood before her and called her…daughter?  
  


"Mother?" She asked softly and the astral projection nodded slightly. A opaque hand slid forward and rested on Athena's own cheek before passing through.

_Be strong, my love, my only child…_The voice continued to echo as the projection faded. Athena started to see the mother she had never known fade, but then a nagging in the back of her mind reminded her about the drink she held. Remembering what her mother said, she quickly downed it, then started forward after the spirit once again…

Only to have a surreal amount of pain grip her womb and twist her vision. She groaned and felt Zeus wrap strong arms about her, holding her up even as she began to drift from the poison the tansy wrought. How had she not seen that? Was Hestia actually trying to kill the babe?  
  


"Mother!" Athena cried out from the pain, wanting nothing more than a mother's comfort to help her through one of the hardest things she would ever have to face.

  
_Do not fear, my daughter. The babe and you shall live…I love you…_A final image of her mother floated in front of her eyes before she closed them for a long time to the world.

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Somewhere near the outskirts of Toyama, that day 

Aphrodite paused in her long trek down from the mountain that Zeus had dropped her on after her transformation into a temporary mortal. Needless to say, even after only four hours as a woman who was obviously pregnant…she knew that she hated it!

Aphrodite stopped, placing both hands at the small of the back in some hopes of relieving the pressure that was building up there. She had waited on the top of the mountain for an hour after being dropped off, hoping that Zeus would reverse his punishment and also trying to get used to the constraints of her own body. At the end of that first hour, she realized that Zeus would not reverse her punishment and had started walking down since she could no longer zip to places with the slightest thought.

That was when Hestia had appeared, giving her the potion that would allow the babe inside her to grow within the two weeks she had as a mortal woman. After being knocked unconscious for fifteen minutes, she had woken up to find her womb already swelling with the growth. The growth of this new babe had not stopped for the next two hours afterwards, forcing Aphrodite to take breaks more and more frequently on her way downward.

Aphrodite forced herself to take another step forward before stopping once again and laying a hand to her swelled belly. The growth may have stopped, but the pain that occurred with the babe readjusting itself inside had not diminished. Indeed, it had grown and Aphrodite groaned with pain at the memory of this pain.

She wiped at he long, golden bangs and did her best to lift the hair off the nape of her neck, hoping for a cool breeze to brush over the sweat that coated her and made her feel miserable. The clothing she had been wearing stretched tightly against her belly, pinching it and constricting her breathing slightly. Her back had a pain growing against her lower back and she had the undying need to relieve herself what seemed like every five minutes even though she was certain she could not have that much liquid in her system.

Aphrodite paused again in her trek, pulling in long, deep breaths to try and calm her racing heart.

"And I put so many poor maidens through this trouble before me…" Aphrodite muttered to herself as she squinted at the city below that seemed to fade farther into the distance with each step. True, she had birthed children before…immortal children, never a mortal one. Other times that she had pleased herself with sex was merely for pleasure, nothing more. "Never again." She groaned. "Never again will I allow a young maiden to have a child before she is ready. NO one should go through this pain."

"I'll agree with you on that one. Okaa-san…expecting, mother?"

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Well, that's it for now…who do YOU think the new woman is? Give me your guesses and I'll put the next chapter up once I've had it written. Please do keep in mind that your reviews DO give me inspiration, so please don't hold back.

PLEASE REVIEW!!!! I'm BEGGING!!!


	6. Understanding, Broken Hearts and Betrayl

Play a Little Longer

Okay, the SIXTH chapter. Woo-hoo! I won't keep you too long and just get started on the story, okay? I only have to give yet ANOTHER shout out to **Split Persona** for her unending help. Yes, Split, you gave me this idea so you SHOULD know who the woman is…hope it's up to your expectations.

To the rest of you, PLEASE REVIEW!!! I'm on my hands and knees, begging, beseeching, and IMPLORING you to please review! I love reading them and I really need them to go on with the story!

To those of you that did review to the fifth chapter, thanks so much!! You know who you are, but in case you suffered from amnesia in that long span between updates, I'll remind you with a shout out of thanks. Those people are: **MuninK**, **Split Persona**, and **Kazumi! THANKS SO MUCH; YOU MADE MY DAY!**

Also, just a reminder…I am a poor college student now, classes started Aug. 25. This means that until my days off or weekends, you'll have to just have more patience for my updates.  Thanks a lot and I hope you enjoy!

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"I'll agree with you on that one. Okaa-san…expecting, mother?" A woman appeared to her left, bowing slightly in respect. She had long brown hair and gentle, brown eyes.

"I…uh, yes, I'm expecting." Aphrodite stuttered nervously, wondering where this woman had come from. The woman laughed lightly, then voiced a question in a language Aphrodite could not grasp…it was high and soft at the same time, but very quick, like fire catching on the tongue.

"I'm sorry…I don't understand." Aphrodite explained, showing her confusion through her eyes instead of through her features.

The woman smiled and understood immediately, switching over quickly to English. "That better?" Aphrodite smiled her thanks. "I asked if this child would be your first."

"Oh…yes, you could say that." Aphrodite replied and the woman gave her a sad look.

"I'm sorry, the first one is always the hardest. But it's the best feeling when you hold your first child in your arms the moment after birth…or at least I've been told." The woman blushed suddenly and smiled slightly. "I wouldn't be able to disagree with that sentiment or agree. I only have helped take care of teenage boys for the last year and a half…boy, I can vouch for those years being terrible!" The woman laughed again and Aphrodite felt a smile tug at her lips. "Are you a traveler?"

"Uh…yes, I'm a traveler." Aphrodite replied, the last part a little quick. She cursed herself as the woman glanced at her, looking her up and down for a sign of lying. For the first time in any of her lies, Aphrodite felt her body betray their own secrets. Her palms grew sweaty and she couldn't focus her sight on one thing for very long. However, the woman let the lie slide and changed the subject.

"So…do you have any where to stay, traveler?" The woman asked, brushing aside a strand of hair. She was still smiling, putting Aphrodite at ease.

"No, not right now…I was hoping to work for my stay." Aphrodite replied softly, lowering her head at the mention of work. She had always worked on love potions before…that job wouldn't earn her much in the greedy realm of mortals today.

"An expecting mother, traveling, and expecting to find a job?" The woman asked incredulously, making Aphrodite flinch. However, the woman just smiled. "I shall not allow it. Another thing I realize about raising children, even teenage boys, is the fact that they catch on quick to how we treat others. What would the boys say if I were to turn down a pregnant woman a place to stay?" The woman paused for a quick breath, but not for a reply to the question so Aphrodite kept her mouth shut. "My name is Mia Koji, I live a few miles away…can I ask what your name is?"

"Uh, yes…my name…my name is…Aphrodite." The goddess in disguise flinched at using her real name, but no other suitable name came to her at the moment. However, the woman, Mia, only raised her eyebrows as her smile grew.

"Let me guess…you travel far, and your homeland lies somewhere in Greece?" Mia asked, her voice betraying a hidden laugh.

Aphrodite blushed and nodded, not having the courage to voice another lie today.

"Well, let's head off to my house. Once there, you can meet my five boys, settle in, and get a drink to help take care of how hot you must feel."

Aphrodite kept silent as she followed Mia, the woman hoisting a suitcase that Hermes must have been told to leave so she didn't stick out like a sore thumb. Silently, she offered some thanks to Zeus for the help he was willing to spare.

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Mount Olympus 

Zeus gave a slight smile when he heard Aphrodite's small thanks raised to him. He wondered, though, how long she would thank him when she realized just WHO she would be sharing a house with for the next two weeks…just whose house she would be living at when she birthed the babe that was half of Sage Date, a resident of the same house.

Zeus's attention was turned away from his little scheme when he heard his daughter moan and stir on the bed that he had placed her on. It had been over five hours mortal time, but on Mount Olympus, it seemed like barely thirty minutes had passed since she had collapsed.

Zeus smiled as he gazed into her fluttering, sleep-heavy eyes, and then drew his eyes to the swelling womb. Everything had gone according to plan. Nothing was to worry about, Athena and the new babe would be fine. Hestia had left little more a few immortal minutes ago, proclaiming the child was healthy and would be born within three weeks, if not two.

However, Athena sat up suddenly, her eyes searching for something…and they showed dismay when she couldn't find the object of her search.

"Athena…what depresses you so? Your child shall be fine." Zeus offered his comfort to her, but Athena didn't answer. She just allowed some tears to fall from her eyes and roll down her cheeks.

Zeus sighed, unhappy once again. He had forgotten about the troublesome mood swings that accompanied even an immortal birthing, and his daughter would be giving birth to a mortal. 'Oh well,' Zeus sighed again, 'At least she won't suffer the pain of childbirth…immortals always have easy births, first to the last.'

Gently and cautiously, Zeus helped Athena to her feet and led her outside of his own temple-house. At the door, Athena refused to budge.

"Father, answer my question first. What did my mother look like?" Zeus was, to say the least, startled by the question and at first didn't answer the question placed before him. "Father, please tell me!"

"Your mother? Athena, daughter of mine, why do you feel the need to know?" Zeus asked, gazing at her in confusion. She stared right back at him, refusing to answer, so, stuttering, Zeus told her. "Your mother…well, she had hair like flaxen and eyes as deep and blue as the ocean. She had a fiery temper and a stubbornness that even the gods could not rival once she had made up her mind. You inherited her hair…and her temper…gods, you are so much like her sometimes that I feel you are her…" Zeus trailed off and Athena smiled.

"Thanks father…I'm glad you told me." Without waiting, Athena blinked out of sight, no doubt disappearing to Crete to think while she awaited the birth of Rowen's child.

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"Here we are. Welcome to my humble abode!" Mia said happily as she threw open her door. Aphrodite, who was right behind her, paused and looked up, recognition dawning on her face.

She swallowed heavily before replying, "You…you live here?"

"Yep. I live here with five teenage boys…and one pet tiger. Hope you don't mind." Mia added sheepishly, looking back at her guest. Aphrodite forced a smile to her face, pretending for the entire world that she didn't care that she was in the house of the boy who had sired her child.

She gulped heavily when Mia finally turned away from her, promising something along the line of a drink. Mia invited her to sit in the living room and relax while the drink was prepared.

Aphrodite took her up on the offer of sitting down since her back was hurting again, but she didn't relax at all. Instead, she tensed at every sound that came from above or from outside. Silently, she cursed Zeus's name for all that he was and all that he had put her through. She could hear Zeus, though, and he didn't seem too concerned with her situation. No, not at all…in fact, he was LAUGHING at her from the corner of her mind.

_I suppose you will think twice before breaking my seal again, won't you Aphrodite?_ Zeus reprimanded, but Aphrodite growled.

"Wait till I get my hands…" Aphrodite growled, but was cut off by Mia asking what she was saying. Thinking fast, Aphrodite replied, "Ice…I said I would like a lot of ice if you don't mind."

A soft acknowledgement came from the kitchen and shortly after, Mia joined Aphrodite and the two women sat quietly in the room, occasionally sipping from their glasses.

"So…would you mind if I asked why you were visiting all of the sudden when you are so close to giving birth?" Mia asked hesitantly.

Aphrodite replied slowly, choosing her words carefully. "Well, to tell the truth…I had planned this trip for well over a year with my husband. We recently divorced when he found out I was with child because he claimed he wasn't ready for that responsibility…however, he gave me a ticket to go for my baby shower that I had three months ago. Even though I knew it would be close to the birth of my child, I just didn't want to give the chance up. I mean, who knows when I might be able to see Japan again?"  
  


"Yes…so, do you like what you have seen of Japan so far?" Mia was trying desperately hard to carry on a conversation with the woman she thought to be Greek, traveling, and ready to bust with child at any moment.

Aphrodite gave a half-hearted smile and replied, "Yes, your country is very beautiful."

Aphrodite prayed that the inquisitive woman wouldn't ask much more about her guest because she was running out of things to say. How could she explain her present predicament without landing in an asylum? She didn't think there was any way possible. However, it seemed that Mia wasn't done with her questions as she opened her mouth to ask yet ANOTHER question…

But then somebody opened the door, the creak distracting Mia from her question and Aphrodite heaved a sigh of relief…that is, until she realized who it was that had just come home.

Mia stood up and went to the living room entrance. She talked softly to who Aphrodite supposed was one of the boys for a long time before reaching forward and grabbing his hand. Aphrodite strained to see which one it might be…and gasped as Sage was dragged into the room, looking extremely sullen.

"Sage, I would like you to meet our guest for the few days she will be staying here. She is from Greece and her name is Aphrodite. Aphrodite, this is Sage Date." Aphrodite lowered her head in a customary Japanese show of respect, but when she looked back up, she was met with the fierce gaze of the blond. He seemed to bore right into her with that look, and the scowl that rested upon his fair face did nothing to help matters.

_Could he possibly know what occurred? Not many mortals remember what happened to them after an encounter with a god…_Aphrodite started as she forced herself to look away from Sage and across to the other side of the room.

However, she was startled out of this revere when a soft voice said from behind, "You are right, Aphrodite. Not many mortals do remember the tricks we play on them, the potions you hide in their food…or a memorable night of pleasure with the goddess of love herself. That is, unless I get involved."

The voice was cool and held an air of authority with it. Before turning to talk to the new being in the room, Aphrodite knew that it was Apollo. She scowled slightly to know that troublesome god had involved himself and turned to scold him.

"Remember, my dear, you are in the presence of mortals. They'll throw you away if they think you are talking to the air…and if you try to communicate with me, that will most certainly seem to be the case." There was a touch of laughter hidden in Apollo's voice as Aphrodite turned away again to face Mia and Sage.

Sage was still staring at her, the scowl gone but his eyes still seemed to be searching for the truth…searching deep into her own blue orbs of light blue with his gray ones. His gray eyes made her nervous and she adjusted her position so she wouldn't be looking directly at him. Silently, she growled at Apollo and Zeus for putting her through this, already adding Apollo to her "Hurt" list when she became an immortal again.

"Tut, tut, Aphrodite. You shouldn't want to hurt me for only revealing the truth to a confused boy. Indeed, he remembered the event on his own…he just only had fragmented memories that needed a little glue and guiding hand to give him the whole picture."  
  
_And I suppose you were that glue and guiding hand?_ Aphrodite accused, but all she received was laughter from Apollo. She couldn't harass him for more information for at that point, the other four boys entered from various parts of the house and Mia rose to give introductions.

After introductions, Mia proclaimed that she was to make lunch and she wanted Rowen to show their guest to the room she could have downstairs. Aphrodite felt that Sage's piercing gray eyes and glare followed her until she disappeared out of sight…but even in the cool of the basement, she felt like they were still burning into her.

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Athena smiled at the little hut she had prepared in the mountains of Crete. It was a simple home, with a thatch roof and similar construction to that which ancient Greek peasants had used to make their homes. It was circular and straw thatched together securely to keep out the cold on the walls. A simple concoction of mortar helped seal in even more warmth.

A small cook fire was in the center, and there was a hole in the top that allowed the smoke to casually waft out, but surprisingly, it had never let in cold air, even for when the peasants had used this method. There were a few pots and pans as well as a supply of food to last the two children for a while. Zeus had given her three goats so she could feed the children milk since any child that nursed from an immortal mother would turn immortal itself. There was also a small store of ambrosia and nectar, enough in even its smallest form to last her for her remaining months…and what could possibly seem like four to seven years to the children if the potion continued its magic after they were born.

Athena was extremely proud of herself. It had only taken her three days to make this house, using as little amounts of her magic as possible. It was up in the mountains were no one would disturb her unless they sought her out. And then, even if they did stumble up here, she had magic protecting her, allowing her to decide if the entering person was worthy to see her.

Athena settled back on straw mat, not knowing what else to do. She was heavy with pregnancy and wanted to continue cleaning…but she couldn't clean or set up anymore. For right now, she had a week and a half to wait before the child would be born…she would have to find some way to pass the time…

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Aphrodite never knew how fast the time could pass.

Two weeks had almost come and gone…and she was in labor now with the child that would be taken from her moments after its birth. In that sense, she knew it was appropriate that her labor pangs were starting late at night. That would mean Zeus could swoop down and take the child and she would be helpless to stop it.

But Aphrodite refused to give the child she had grown to love up so easily. At the first contraction, she cried out in surprise, pain and happiness. The other inhabitant's of Mia's house, who had been expecting the arrival of the child, came to her aid quickly. A midwife came when Mia called for her and within an hour, a healthy baby girl came into the world. At that same moment, Aphrodite saw the lights dim and features slow…Zeus would not be so easily thwarted.

He appeared before her when all the mortals in the house were frozen in time and space. He picked from the housewife's arms a small, red child with a fine covering of blond hair. The babe stirred at contact and her cries pierced the silence of the frozen room.

"Did you really think to escape my judgment, Aphrodite?" Zeus asked softly, his voice a low rumble as his presence calmed the child. He cradled her to his chest, brushing her blond curls back with a single finger. Without a word, the child was suddenly swaddled in white robes and Zeus smiled. "The child shall be safe…"

  
Zeus turned to leave and Aphrodite cried out, beseeching him one last time. "Please, Zeus, don't do this to me! I might have carried her for a shorter time, but I still love her desperately! Please!"

"I do not retract my judgment!"

"But…but the mortals! They know I have a child…how will I explain this to them?" Aphrodite's voice rose in desperation. She knew from the time he had confronted her that he was going to take the child…but not until this very moment, where she had only seen the babe from afar, how much this would really tear at her heart.

"I am not that thick, Aphrodite. A duplicate has been left, devoid of all life. They shall think you birthed a stillborn and only you shall know the truth. You have three days as a mortal left, make good use of them and maybe I shall let you see this child later." Zeus smiled down at the child before he disappeared from sight.

"NO!!!" Aphrodite screamed as the last contraction made her shudder and time returned to normal. The midwife hefted the child that Aphrodite already knew had no life in it.

The child was cleaned off and Aphrodite watched silently as the midwife tried to find out if the child was living. She turned her head aside when the midwife shook her head and let the tears come silently, letting them slide down her sweaty face. She heard Mia and the midwife move around…Mia wrapping the child in stray rags, the midwife making a call to the hospital to report the stillborn…it all seemed so loud.

A hand was placed on her shoulder and a soft voice whispered, "It will be all right."

She turned slightly and drew in her breath to see Sage staring at her with compassion and…was that tears shimmering in his eyes as well? She turned back away but Sage didn't leave like she expected. In fact, he tried to continue the conversation.

"You know, I know who you really are. Apollo told me and although I find it hard to believe…I do. I was really upset with the fact that you had to cheat to get me to lie with you and have a child by you but as the time came closer for you to have the child…I grew excited. I wanted to see a wondrous creation made by me." Sage paused and waited until she turned to face him. "I'm sorry the baby didn't survive. I would have still claimed it as my own."  
  


That brought fresh tears to her eyes and Aphrodite turned away. Sage didn't leave though and when he heard the first cry escape from her, he was there to comfort her. He brushed the hair away from her face, whispered soothing thoughts, and wiped away her tears.

From the doorway to the living room, Rowen watched from the shadows, allowing a feral growl to escape his throat at the kindness that Sage poured on the young woman who had lost her child. He knew he should feel sorry for her, but he just couldn't handle Sage acting so tenderly to the woman. He loved Sage desperately…then to hear Sage say he would claim the child as his own, Rowen felt something die inside of him. So Sage wasn't what he thought…and silently, keeping his tears and hurt hidden, he wandered back upstairs.

As he walked back upstairs, he didn't catch the next thing that Sage asked Aphrodite.

"I know everything about what happened. Is the child that Rowen conceived by Hera born this day as well?"

"…I think so." Aphrodite turned her head away, knowing that she would have to hurt herself once more…but she had to do this. "You need to love him. Putting your hopes and thoughts into these children will do you no good…love him like you did before me."

Tears escaped again as Sage didn't say anything, but then he leaned over her, brushing her lips with his. She turned to him with clouded hope in her eyes but he smiled at her and whispered softly, "Thank you for setting me free."

Aphrodite smiled softly, knowing she had done the right thing as she watched him head upstairs to find Rowen.

"But I will never stop loving or protecting you." She whispered softly to herself before the midwife came in to help clean her up and get her into clean clothes.

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Okay, so that last part might have seem a little forced…I hope you still like it, but if not, I may consider re-writing it.

PLEASE GIVE ME A REVIEW AND ANY IDEAS YOU WANT TO SEE!!! It really helps me a lot…THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING!!!


	7. A Slight of Truth

Play a Little Longer

So, now I'm onto the seventh chapter and it's actually up and you can read it!

I must apologize IMMENSLY for taking so long to update this story. I hope that you can all forgive me and still enjoy the story as well as the others that I updated. I only got to write, like I had thought I would, on weekends or when classes just were not hectic. I am still very sorry for not updating before this.

From my last chapter, I must thank those who read my chapters and gave me their feedback. My deepest thanks goes out to: **Sakura123 **and **Monarth**. Thank you so much for your support, I do appreciate it. I also hope that all your lurkers and previous fans do review! I honestly do admit that when you review more, it makes me want to update faster because then I know you still like the story…

Anyhow, hope you enjoy this chapter just like how you liked the others.

Notes: Okay, so I better add in a little disclaimer for a scene I'm going to do with Rowen. Most of you might think it looks a little like LotR: RotK, but I swear it isn't! I actually had the idea long before I saw the movie, but I figure in case there is some fanatic out there, I better give all rights to Peter Jackson and whoever else came up with the touching moment between Arwen and her future son. I don't claim rights to something like that!

Also, Hestia is known as the goddess of the hearth and home, like I stated in a chapter previous. However, I am taking a little liberal change that I possess as author to the mythology and claim she has a crystal to watch over each home…that's a lot o' diamonds!!!

…. Kidding, kidding…please, just humor me and REVIEW to the story

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Mia's Mansion, A Month After the gods Woke Up 

Sage sighed heavily as he looked out his window and down onto the grounds of the Koji manor. After he had seen Aphrodite's child brought into this world, he had felt happy for the first time since he had realized he might not have another chance with Rowen. However, this happy moment was not to last as the baby was pronounced stillborn and Sage wasn't allowed to see the child's face.

The baby had been buried the next morning in a secluded spot on the estate's grounds, in a beautiful clearing that often had deer and other animals visit it. It had also been one of Sage's three favorite meditative spots. Two days after the small funeral, Aphrodite had to leave, claiming it was time now to return to Greece. In a final moment together, she had embraced Sage and told him that she would always watch over him from above.

Sage sighed heavily again, sinking a little more into the depression that had come to engulf him. He wasn't aware that four pairs of eyes watched him from his bedroom door that was only halfway open.

"He's been like that ever since Aphrodite left…do you think there might have been something between them?" Cye asked softly as he was pushed aside a little so Kento could take a look at their friend and fifth trooper.

Rowen, who was standing by the railing and trying not to look interested in the topics about Sage, stiffened at the thought. Ryo, who had been standing closer to Rowen than anyone else, noticed the subtle change in the blue-haired warrior and softly asked if he was all right.

"I just need to go take a walk." Rowen replied stiffly and quietly enough for only Ryo to hear. Without another word, Rowen took off. The slamming of the front door startled Kento and Cye out of their small discussion about what to do to get Sage out of his depression.

"Hey, Ryo…where did Rowen go?" Cye asked softly, joining his leader by the railing. Ryo didn't answer, his eyes fixed on the door that finally stopped vibrating from the force that Rowen had slammed it shut with. "Ryo?"

"What?" Ryo asked quickly, turning back to Cye with a bewildered look.

Cye sighed. "I asked if you knew where Rowen had gone off to." Cye asked, knowing as soon as Rowen's name was mentioned, the fire warrior had lost all attention for the question. "Ryo!"

"I think I'm going to go talk with Rowen…" Ryo stated softly, not turning to face Cye's wrath for ignoring the water warrior. Ryo didn't wait long as he took off after the blue-haired warrior, shutting the door softly behind him.

"If it makes you feel any better, Cye, I'm left as much in the dark as you are about our current situation." Kento supplied to Cye softly as the two headed downstairs, leaving Sage alone.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Mount Olympus 

Zeus starred at the crystal that hung as if by a thread in the middle of the room in which he sat. Hera, who had returned only a few days ago, sat on his left side, showing he was still displeased by her. However, the couple was entertained for now as the watched the crystal Hestia had loaned them so the could witness the events happening at the home of the Ronin Warriors.

"This bores me." Zeus finally spoke up and with a wave of his hand, sent the crystal back to Hestia's dwelling.

"What do you wish to do instead, husband?" Hera asked softly, keeping her eyes lowered. She was secretly hoping that if she played the good little girl for a while, she would be able to convince Zeus to let her see her child that was in the care of Athena…and if that were to happen, even the king of the gods would not be able to stop her from taking what was hers to raise on her own.

Zeus was silent for a minute as he thought about the request before lurching out of the throne and leaving his home. Hera, who decided since she had not been commanded to follow him, would stay behind until he had need of her.

Zeus, meanwhile, made his way to Hephaestus's forge and went inside after a brief rap on the door. Zeus squinted at the extra heat that always came from Hephaestus's forge as he posed his question for his brother/nephew/cousin…Zeus let the mental tirade of how screwed up the lineage of the gods was slip away as he posed his question.

"Hephaestus, you said once that we would come back to view the greatest moment that the armors have ever faced. A month has passed since our awakening and still we see no mark of the armors or glint of the magical metal. We only know the nine men that we have found are even related to the armors because of the weak connection that still exists between some of the mighty and the armors. Tell me when we shall see the armors!"

Hephaestus barely looked up from a new type of thunderbolt he was trying to create for Zeus before he went back to work. Before Zeus had a chance to explode with anger at being ignored, though, Hephaestus put aside his tool for a moment and attempted to wipe some of the permanent black soot stain from his hands off and onto his shirt. Then, he turned to Zeus and told the King of the Gods what he knew.

"O Father Zeus, how am I to know when we shall see the armors again or not? I only created the armors and poured some of my power into one. If you wish to consult matters of the future, you should consult a seeress or a fortune teller…"  
  


"Don't be ridiculous, that can't work in this day and age." Zeus interrupted Hephaestus. He felt very strongly about this event and often reproached anyone for bringing it up. Since it had been brought up in innocent conversation, he only paced around Hephaestus's dwelling while he continued to mutter. "The people of Earth have only changed in one thing since we went to sleep, and that is the fact that immortal beings like us, or Isis with her court or even that Pele, Cernunnos, or Odin[1] ever existed and that the new Hebrew God is the best one to save them from damnation!![2] None of the self-proclaimed fortunetellers of today have any magic in them and can only tell the future of someone by the stealing of personal information, lies or by possibly guessing their way through certain events!"

"Father Zeus, I must put forth a question."

Zeus stopped in his condemning of today's religious culture and looked to Hephaestus, implying that he could go on with what the god of forge and fire wished to say.

"If we have come out of our long sleep for a time being, it should seem that the wise Graiae would also have awoken with us. They may not be wise, but it was prophesized that they could look into the future. Might you question them?"

Zeus was silent for a few moments as he considered the complications and the answers that could be hidden with the Graiae. He also considered the dangers that were even present for an immortal god when facing the Graiae. In the end, he disappeared from Hephaestus's forge, curiosity getting the best of him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A section of Mia's land 

Rowen finally leaned against a younger oak tree after having run for the last thirty minutes. He had covered a good chunk of Mia's land. He was able to avoid Ryo many times by using some secret paths that Sage had once shown him…

Rowen immediately dropped the train of thought and let his head hit the tree softly. Every single time he thought of Sage, he could only envision the night he had seen the young blond with Aphrodite, consoling her over the loss of the child…then claiming he would have taken the child as his own even if it had survived.

Rowen figured he should have let Sage know how he felt about him before this. If he had, he might have been able to understand the point of the conversation he had heard better (there was still a wriggling doubt in his mind that there was more to the story than he knew about…than what he might EVER know about). He should have told the blond how he felt, and then things might not have gotten out of hand…

"Dammit, why didn't I just tell him?!" Rowen cried out, thinking of all the times that he had the opportunity to say it now, knowing what was done was done and that, in a sort of premonition, he could see the gap that would grow between them…and it would all be because he had not spoken up.

Rowen turned around, angry with himself and with the world and decided to take his feelings out on the young oak. He hit a hard knoll in the center of the trunk, then again with his other hand. He continued this tireless exercise until his knuckles were bruised and starting to bleed…and until he heard a twig snap behind him, signaling the arrival of someone.

Half guessing it would be Ryo, he turned around to greet his brother-in-arms and friend, trying to hide his bruised hands behind his back.

What stared back at him was a young vixen fox, no more than a few months old. Rowen smiled when it yapped at him playfully, but did not try to encourage the pup's playful antics. The last thing he needed was for a protective mother vixen to come charging at him if she thought he might harm or steal her baby.

The vixen looked startled suddenly as its gaze traveled just off to Rowen's right. The pup stiffened and in the next instant, had vanished into the bushes with barely a sound.

Confused, Rowen looked over his right shoulder to see what might have startled the pup…he hadn't heard anyone approaching, something he could normally pick out in such a quiet setting as what this forest provided him with. So it was quiet a surprise when Rowen looked over his shoulder to see a young toddler sitting amongst the brush, playing with multi-colored stones that were set out on the skin of a bear for her.

Rowen slowly approached the young child, quite certain that he hadn't seen her before. And she was too young to have dragged the bearskin as well as a backpack full of stones with her. So where did she come from? A quick scan of the forest with Rowen's sharp eyes didn't reveal parents hiding anywhere, so he knelt down next to the child.

The child seemed undisturbed, as if she couldn't see him. Light changed suddenly and a bright shaft fell down on top of the toddler's head, highlighting each little curl of the hair and the…blue highlights?

Rowen bent his head so he could see the child's face and was quite startled to see a chubby, feminine version of himself concentrating on the rocks and stacking them in a pile. But he didn't remember having a child, so who did this child belong to? It certainly couldn't be his…

The toddler looked up suddenly and broke into a large grin, stretching her chubby little arms up, as if trying to get Rowen to pick her up. Rowen, startled even at his own actions, bent to oblige the little one…only to have his hands go right through her.

Another's set of arms picked her up and Rowen looked to his left to see a woman with long, blond hair tied up in a ponytail nuzzling with the child, a smile lightening features that seemed to be too stern half the time. Her skin was pale, but one thing that really caught his attention was that her eyes were stormy gray, just like Sage's were sometimes.

The realization of the likeness between the two made Rowen's jaw drop and he couldn't stop staring even when the child turned to him and waved goodbye as the obvious mother of the child walked away with her still in her arms. When they reached a stand of Northern Elms a few feet away, the woman walked through them with the child and vanished.

That was how Ryo found him, a few minutes later, staring open-mouthed at a stand of elms.

"Careful, Ro, don't let flies buzz into your mouth!" Ryo said softly, startling the blue-haired archer out of his daze. Rowen snapped his mouth shut at the comment immediately and turned away from the stand of the trees.

"What do you want Ryo?" Rowen asked, clearing his throat a little. He licked his dry lips as he sat down on a protruding stone, looking around discreetly for the bearskin and multicolored rocks. Neither was anywhere to be found.

"Well, I wanted to talk about you and Sage. You two have really distanced each other over the past month. Is there anything you want to talk about?"

Rowen, instead of answering, saw a glint of blue and green by his foot. He bent down, ignoring the last of Ryo's question to pick it up…it had been one of the stones the little toddler had been playing with.

"Ro?" Ryo asked, snapping Rowen's attention away from the solid, cold rock he held in his hand now.

"I'm sorry, what?" Rowen asked, looking into Ryo's blue eyes.

"Is there anything you need to tell me?" Ryo asked again, forcing Rowen to pay attention with his tone.

"Not that I can think of, why?" Rowen asked as he pocketed the stone to think about later. For now, he decided to talk with Ryo for a little and keep his mind off the mysterious little girl and Sage's strange comment to Aphrodite.

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Meanwhile, Somewhere on the Coast of Turkey 

Zeus walked along the wet beach, not letting the surf get to him even as it weighed down his toga. For an immortal, such things were of no consequence…he could dry it when he wished to, but for now, his concentration was focused on the cliffs that bordered the beach. This was the last place he had known the Graiae to reside and hoped enough of the cave opening would still exist that he could enter and find out what he needed to know.

Suddenly spying an opening amongst the constant gray of the cliff walls, he made his way to the wall and peered into the opening.

It was dark, wet and cold inside, but this did not deter the King of the Gods as he bent down and squeezed into what appeared were the remains of the Graiae's lair. A shiver down the King's back warned him that he was not alone…

Zeus turned, springing out of the way at the same time to avoid whatever was there. In the darkness, he could barely make out one of the Gray sisters, her cheeks drawn thin in starvation and both eyes blank, for the magical eye that the three sisters normally shared between them was not present with this one.

"Is someone there?" The Gray Woman said, her voice harsh and worn with disuse, one hand reaching out to search for whoever had entered her domain. She took a stumbling step forward and paused once again, her arm waving as if to search for Zeus.

"It is I, Zeus, who comes to your dwelling, Graiae. Tell me what I need to know!" Zeus commanded of the woman in front of him, taking into account her appearance. Zeus doubted there would be any way that she could refuse his request…without her sisters, the Graiae were weak. "Where are your sisters, Graiae?"

"Gone." The woman replied; the answer cut off shortly with rage at not being able to see or control her guest. "They both died centuries ago…we didn't fade like the mighty on Olympus did, oh no. We were able to survive, but the ocean…oh, Great Poseidon's ocean, it is a curse! As long as it continues to approach my cave, no humans now search for any answers. The great water, it drives them away…and the legendary story of an evil monster that haunts these cliffs." A wicked smile flickered across her lips at the story part, a dry tongue darting out to wet her dry lips as she thought about the succulent humans that she and her sisters had used to dine upon.

"Well, it's hardly any less than you deserve. Feeding upon humans definitely gives them a fear of what dwells within these cliffs." Zeus paused, as he looked the woman up and down again, taking into account this time that she did not have in her possession the mystical eye that was normally shared between the three. "Where is your eye, old hag?"

"My eye? Gone! In an earthquake! I was minding my own business, washing some of the dirt off the eye after my second sister died…and then the ocean shook with a new fury, something I hadn't felt for a millennia! And it fell, to Poseidon's great depths." The Graiae responded, poking around some fallen stones in the cave.

A bird chirped near the hole that Zeus had stepped in from and with lightning fast movement, the Graiae had launched herself across the rocks and snagged the bird. She shoved the whole thing in her mouth while it still whistled at her to be free and once she had swallowed the bird, only then did she bother to spit its feather out at her feet.

"I thought you couldn't see with your great eye."

"Amazing what can happen to one's other senses when one doesn't have the ability they used to rely on!" The Graiae snapped, patting the stones around the entrance, possibly looking for more stray birds or fish that she might be able to stuff into her mouth.

Zeus grimaced at the thought before demanding what he wanted to know. "The Mighty on Olympus have been brought back to life for a time. You know of this, old hag. You were the one to predict it to me that millennia ago when I came to ask you after the first few fell asleep. Tell me, will I be able to see the mystical armor that calls to me in my dreams even?"

The Graiae glanced over her shoulder at him as if she could see, but only gave a nasty smile.

"You want my help? Well too bad. I'm not in the mood to help anyone, including the king of the gods. Unless…" The Graiae paused, putting a thin finger to her lips as if she had to consider something. "Unless the King does something for me first, I shall not do anything for you." She turned back to patting down stones, searching for food or water that might linger for her.

"What would it be that you want?" Zeus asked, mainly asking the question to stop the wet slapping that distracted him, but helped the Graiae search for food. He grimaced as she sucked on her fingers after finding a slight amount of dirty water trickling down the rocks.

"My eye." The Graiae said softly before she went back to patting the stones.

  


* * *

[1] Isis was the goddess of fertility and one of many of the Ancient Egyptian gods/goddesses; Pele is a fire goddess from Polynesia and represents a whole slew of mythological beings from the Pacific Islands; Cernunnos is a Celtic god that protected horned animals from the Celtic mythology; Odin is a one-eyed god from Norse (Teutonic) Mythology and was considered to be the strongest and sometimes the king of the gods

[2] No, I'm not an Atheist or anything like that, so please don't flame me for that comment…just trying to keep my mind open to different possibilities. Sorry if I insulted anyone, Jewish or Christian alike, I didn't mean to. And just because I left out the other religions doesn't mean that I'm ignorant of them. If I knew more information about them, I would have included them too, I swear. I'd rather exclude something than get information wrong…


	8. The Seal is Breaking

Play a Little Longer

It's the Eighth chapter! Again, it took me a while to write, and I'm sorry I couldn't get it out to you sooner. However, I hope you like the story and that I can get a few more reviews for it.

I want to give thanks to the following two persons who took the time to review my story. Thanks so much.

**Celesta SunStar** – Yes, I know how terrible it can be, trying to keep up with life in general. Also, I'm surprised at how much of a frequency we shared on your review. I was already planning on having the warlords involved in this chapter (but, of course, I will be throwing in more Greek Mythology for fun :D). Anyhow, hope the last part that you asked me about will be up to par with your expectations.

**Monarth **– Thanks for always taking time out of your day to review to my stories. It means SO much to me when I see in my little inbox that I have a review alert for a recent story I put up! Anyhow, hope you like this chapter as well as the last one. Oh yeah, and that Sage x Rowen interaction you wanted…hold onto your horses, it's coming, I promise!

Now, on with the story!!!

* * *

"My eye." The Graiae said softly before she went back to patting the stones.

"What do you mean, hag?" Zeus asked the Graiae softly, stopping the disgusting search for food and water again.

"I mean to say that I want my eye back. You talk to your brother Poseidon, I'm sure its lurking somewhere in the depths of his ocean. You bring me my eye and I will tell you what you wish to know about the Ronin Armors.

Zeus, deciding to humor the old woman, backed off and went in search of the Graiae's missing eye.

* * *

**_Back at Mia's Mansion_**

A knock at the bedroom door startled Sage out of his contemplations. He looked around for a minute, confused at his surroundings until he noticed that his room looked different merely because the sun had now begun to set.

_'Have I really been wandering that long?'_ Sage asked himself softly as he forced himself to use his stiff legs with a groan. He stomped out the numbness quickly before going to the door and opening it for whoever had knocked beforehand.

There was no one at the door, but as Sage peered out, confident that someone had knocked, he saw that Rowen was at the stairs. The blue-haired archer was slowly walking down the stairs, his right hand tightly gripping something and his head lowered for some reason.

Sage, suddenly remembering that Rowen would not have remembered the night that either boy had spent in the arms of the goddess, felt sorrow for the boy. He didn't know that he was a father or that the gods of Olympus were real instead of the myth that he had concluded them to be when he had taken a fantasy and mythology course at the local college. In fact, all Rowen would know is that his best friend had been ignoring him for the past week…and if what Cye had said that fateful night that now seemed so long ago was true…then he also felt ignored by someone he saw as a little more than a friend.

"Rowen!" Sage called out softly, but the voice was loud enough to stop the blue-haired warrior and get him to turn slightly to see what Sage might want. Sage leaned against the doorjamb, smiling down at his friend with the same smile they used to share as he asked, "What did you knock for?"

Rowen, who had thought that maybe Sage had been asleep when the blond hadn't answered right away, frowned at the smile that Sage now willingly bestowed upon him. "I…" Rowen started, but then stopped, not sure how to convey what he wanted to say. His right hand delved into his pocket and rubbed his thumb over the blue and green stone that he had found earlier that day. Doubting himself suddenly, he pulled back from what he was about to launch into. "It was stupid; forget it."

Sage straightened when Rowen turned to leave, startled that the boy didn't want to talk over the week's events with him. "Ro…" Sage said softly, stopping the blue-haired warrior again. Sage hesitated a moment before joining Rowen on the steps. Sage smiled at Rowen's bewildered look before explaining his actions. "Ro…we have a lot to talk about."

Rowen, still slightly startled by the speed of recent events, allowed the blond to tow him outside, unaware that the other three armor bearers watched from the kitchen with smiles gracing their lips before they went back to preparing dinner.

* * *

**_Deep in the Mediterranean Sea_**

Zeus appeared at the bottom of the sea, near the cliff where Poseidon had slept for the last millennia. Zeus, moving as if the water did not harm him, cupped his hands to his mouth and yelled into the sea's deep the name of his elder brother.

"Poseidon!!"

Zeus waited for a moment, straining his hearing to try and catch Poseidon's reply, but only the gentle sway of plant life and the playful darting of fish came to him. Zeus pushed off from the bottom of the ocean again to float around, hoping to come across Poseidon as he called out for his brother once again, this time using his mind as well.

It didn't take long after using his mind that Zeus was able to make a connection with Poseidon, and he swam to the surface effortlessly as he attempted to find his brother.

Zeus surfaced into the midst of a tropical storm. He stepped out of the water as if he was climbing stairs and planted his feet so that he wouldn't fall back into the water again. Once he was sure that he was safe for a little while, Zeus decided to examine the storm that he was witnessing, for quite clearly this storm had not been made without the help of a god.

The sea suddenly calmed but Zeus noticed the raging sides all around him that showed the storm still continued; it only showed that Poseidon had merely moved the eye of the storm over them so that they might be able to talk.

The water broke by Zeus's feet and, as he looked down, he saw that Poseidon was slowly raising his head out of the sea.

The ocean-blue locks clung to his face; the wet environment Poseidon was always found in often plastered his hair down. What sun that was able to break through the storm shone on the scales that Poseidon had decorating his body so that he seemed more merman than human or immortal god.

"What is it that you need, Zeus?" Poseidon said quickly, indicating quite clearly that he was busy with other matters and didn't appreciate being interrupted, even for family.

"Just a quick favor, brother, and then you can get back to whatever you were doing." Zeus paused, trying to come up with a way to word this question in the best way possible.

* * *

In the cave by the coast of present-day Turkey, the last of the Graiae peered out into the sea, watching with her other senses the growing storm. Briefly she wondered if she would have enough time to get her eye back from Poseidon before the greater forces at work unleashed themselves.

"Hurry, you fool." The Graiae muttered, her empty sockets drifting back out over the sea in hopes of sensing Zeus.

* * *

"Well?!" Poseidon said impatiently, rising now from the deep depths of the ocean so as better to hear Zeus's request.

"Have you…By chance…did you find…?" Zeus left the question hanging, still unsure of how he could voice the question. He could tell that his continuing point of starting the question over every few words was wearing on Poseidon's nerves.

"What, brother? Out with it already, I don't have all day." Poseidon said, trying to hurry Zeus along as he folded his arms across his chest. Zeus sputtered for words, still unsure how to ask if the eye of the Graiae had been found in Poseidon's depths.

Zeus heaved a world-weary sigh and decided to just take his chances by asking the question in its simplest form. "Brother, you haven't by chance…have you come across the Eye down below?"

Poseidon's face contorted into complete shock. There was no need to clarify what "eye" they might be discussing, but Poseidon did wonder what Zeus could possibly have to do with that motley group. Being stubborn at last in the matter, Poseidon focused all his attention on Zeus, keeping only a small train of thought left on the storm so it wouldn't get out of his control.

"Why are you searching for the eye, brother?" Poseidon asked, folding his arms across his chest to convey that he had time enough to hear Zeus out.

* * *

**_At the same time, in the Youja-kai_**

****

Kale, heart pumping and lungs burning, burst into Kayura's office. The young ruling governess of the Youja-kai had been busy writing up some new rule for the Youja-kai when Kale, former warlord of Darkness, interrupted her.

She looked up from her paperwork, glaring at Kale and challenging him to come up with a good reason as to why he had disturbed her.

"Yes, Kale?" She asked, malice dripping from her voice when Kale could only stand by the doorframe and gasp for breath. The warlord opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out but strangled gasps. Slightly concerned for her brother-in-arms, Kayura stood up from her position to get a better vantage point.

"Kuh-Kayura." Kale finally gasped out, putting a hand to his side as he forced the stitch to go away. "Come…with me."

Kayura hesitated, but Kale lunged forward across the small space that separated them to grab her wrist and drag her with him.

Kale ran out of the palace with Kayura only doing her best to keep up. The flurry of movement caught many eyes, but only three other people dared to question what might be going on…and they awaited Kale and Kayura already at Kale's destination.

When Kale finally stopped running and Kayura was able to pull her hand free from his grasp, she took a few moments to pretend to dust off her robes and to calm her anger. Finally, she faced her brother-in-arms.

"What were you DOING, Kale? Dragging me out of my office like that! Why I…"

"Kayura." Anubis's calm voice cut through her tirade and she stopped, looking around for the first time at where they were.

It took a moment, but it finally became clear that the four former warlords and Kayura now stood below the palace, in a place only seen before in maps of the castle. They were in the catacombs of Tulpa's kingdom.

The catacombs had been made eons ago, long before Tulpa was conceived or even his mother before him. No one knew the true origin of them, and no one sought them out since they possessed the power to make one's blood run cold at the mere mention of their names.

"Why did you bring me here?" Kayura asked, clenching her hands to prevent her tremors and hoping that her voice wouldn't betray her.

"You know of the tremors that have assaulted the Youja-kai since this morning?" Dais posed a question while he still faced the door to the catacombs. Carefully, he reached out a hand to touch some old runes that were still etched into the side of the door.

"Yes, but how do they have anything to do with this place?" Kayura asked, forcing her voice to not escalate.

Sekhmet turned his cold, narrow gold eyes on Kayura and she found a shiver slip past her guard. She closed her eyes against the fear that wracked her body until she had it under control before looking at the four warlords again.

"The tremors have much to do with the catacombs, Kayura." Sekhmet bit out, his eyes flashing dangerously. He inched over to Dais, who still was examining the runes by the door.

Kayura looked to Anubis, hoping for a better explanation and he sighed when he realized he'd been silently voted to explain everything to their sister.

"How is your history with the catacombs Kayura?" Anubis asked, standing by her side while he watched his three brother-in-arms look all around the doorway for any new clues.

Kayura shook her head to Anubis's question. "Not very good, I'm afraid. I just know they were here long before Tulpa began his reign."

Anubis nodded slightly in agreement. "Yes, they were here before Tulpa's reign. No one knows when exactly they did appear, but…do you know what their origin is?"

Kayura looked at Anubis incredulously, wondering what the older man could possibly mean. Since Tulpa had first attacked Japan in his full demon form, he was often considered to be of Japanese origin, as well as all other myths, rumors or facts that were true about him. Therefore, it would seem that…"Aren't the origins of the catacombs Japanese?"

Anubis shook his head slightly, eyes never leaving the ancient doorway. "No. The catacombs, actually, have their origins in Greek mythology rather than Japanese mythology. In fact, the two mythologies have many ties, it would seem, when Tulpa is concerned. For instance, the ancient's staff…it has ancient Greek origins, even though it has been left in the charge of Japanese families for as long as one can remember."

Kayura was slightly shocked and she fingered the staff slightly as she pondered over this new development. While she did so, Anubis had gone over to Dais, seeing if he could decipher anything else from the runes.

"Can you figure out what they say at all?" Anubis asked, running his own hand over part of the design.

Dais looked over at Anubis, concern hidden deep within his eyes.

"I can't make it all out…but there is a great evil that lies here. It has been here for so many years, allowing its anger to grow and manifest itself strong with each passing century…but there is now reference as to what 'it' is."

"Is that all you can figure out?" Anubis asked, his hand continuing to run along the wall until it hit a crack that had started to form since the tremors had begun. It was barely a centimeter width across, but it ran from the top of the seal on the doorway and almost to the bottom.

"The only other thing I can tell from these runes is that it would be bad…It would be VERY bad…to EVER let this thing out into the mortal realm. It's been there before, Anubis…it wants to be there again, and only some great force as ancient as this thing itself was able to seal it in the first place." Dais explained, his voice cold as it explained the truth behind the matter. "If it gets let out again…it very well could mean the end of all life as we know it."

Anubis was about to respond, but another tremor made everyone pause as they fought for balance on the rocky ground. Anubis put his hand out and caught himself before he was thrown into the solid face of the door. He pushed back of the door when the tremor stopped only to notice the crack had grown, both in width and in length. He turned to face his friends. They had all heard Dais's explanation of the doorway, so Anubis set his face in a grim mask.

"Well then…it seems that we will need to make sure whatever it is cannot come out." Anubis explained. The other four nodded in agreement with Anubis's decision.

No sooner had this decision been reached but a dry chuckle filled the room.

* * *

Whee-hee!! What a wonderful place to leave it at! In fact, I'm going to do just that! The sooner you review, the sooner I can get another chapter up! And I will this time too, I promise! I've got some more inspiration happening, so I'll update faster over the summer, just give me reviews! Five reviews, that's all I ask, and I'll update…Please?!?!


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